Encouragement for Today
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April 14, 2025 Turned Tables: Finding Grace in Life’s Disruptions Lee en español |
“Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.” Matthew 21:12 (NIV)
Editor’s Note: Today’s devotion is part of our Holy Week series! Journey with us as we experience the power of Jesus’ love, remember His sacrifice, and walk in the victory of His resurrection. We pray this series prepares your heart for the joy of Easter. Subscribe now.
Convinced I was following God’s call, I had poured myself into ministry — doing everything to build what I believed He had asked of me.
But then burnout hit me.
My heart broke as God asked me to step back, step away and slow down. It felt like He was disrupting everything I thought He had called me to. I couldn't help but wonder why and struggled to understand how He could allow this.
Maybe you’ve felt it, too — that quiet exhaustion that slowly builds as you try to hold everything together. We start with the best intentions, trusting God to lead the way. But somewhere along the journey, we take on more than He ever asked us to carry. The weight of it all presses in, so we push harder, strategize more and keep striving … until suddenly something disrupts our plans.
It feels like everything is unraveling. But what if the disruption isn’t a setback? What if it’s an invitation?
As Holy Week unfolds, Matthew 21:12 says, “Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.”
The people had lost sight of the temple’s true purpose. They’d begun with worship but ended up focused on profit and performance. Jesus’ intervention reminded them that holiness mattered far more than human plans.
As believers today, we are now His temple — His Spirit dwells within us. And sometimes He must overturn the tables in our hearts. When we have resorted to anxious striving, worrying ourselves sick and pressing on when He is calling us to rest, He knows this is hurting us. This was never His intention.
Looking back, I see now that God wasn’t punishing me by asking me to slow down or let go of some of the things I loved. He was purifying me. My identity had become tangled in what I was building for Him instead of simply being with Him. In His love, He overturned my plans to bring me back to Him.
Perhaps God allows some disruptions as an invitation back to dependence on Him. Like the burnout that forced me to pause, all God’s interventions draw us into surrender, reminding us that He, not our efforts, is the true source of strength. Removing what’s unnecessary creates space for what matters.
This Holy Week, may we embrace God’s gentle correction, knowing His most beautiful mercies meet us at the end of ourselves.
Oh, Lord, I confess I often rely on my strength. Thank You for using life’s disruptions to draw me back to You. As I reflect on this Holy Monday, help me surrender my plans and trust You even when life feels overturned. Give me faith to rest in Your love and guidance today and always. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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FOR DEEPER STUDY
John 15:2, “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (NIV).
How does God demonstrate His faithfulness by pruning us and turning tables in our lives? How have you seen God do great works through surrender in your life? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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Proverbs 31 Ministries
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