Lemonade Stand

He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert. — Psalm 105:41

At a certain point in the middle of summer, you’ll likely feel as though you cannot survive another moment of heat. You break a sweat walking to the mailbox. You know exactly how much of your body you can squeeze into the freezer. You give up watering the lawn, and instead you sit in a chair and water yourself. Not to be overly dramatic, but you’re pretty sure you’re going to die.

When you’ve reached this point, nothing brings more joy than to see the little girl next door set up a lemonade stand. You blink a couple of times to make sure the heat isn’t causing hallucinations. Then, moving slowly, using as little energy as possible, you leave the safety of your oscillating fan for a paper cup of lemonade-flavored heaven. And you realize that you will, in fact, live to sweat another day.

On their journey through the desert, there were many times when the children of Israel thought that they couldn’t make it another moment.

It didn’t matter what miracles God had performed previously; they were certain they were going to die. We know the end of the story, so we’re quick to judge. But how often have we done the same thing?

Maybe we receive an unexpected bill and panic because we can’t see any way of paying it. Someone we love is ill, and we are devastated because we cannot fix them. We fall into that same old pit of sin that we’ve climbed out of multiple times and wonder if God can forgive us. And we forget how God has repeatedly provided, healed, and forgiven in the past. In the midst of a current crisis, we forget all He has done before. We forget that God can send water gushing from a rock in the middle of the desert.

When the heat of your circumstances seems to be too much, don’t panic.

When you feel parched and dry, don’t think you’re beyond help. Look around. God may have just set up a lemonade stand in the middle of your hot summer afternoon.

Too often, Lord, I’m tempted to panic. I focus on my circumstances and forget that, with You, nothing is impossible. Thank You for the tender care You show even in the face of my doubt.

Excerpted with permission from Devotions from the Front Porch by Stacy Edwards, copyright Thomas Nelson.

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Your Turn

Are you in that hot, hard place when you feel like you can’t make it another day? Look around! What is going doing to sustain you and provide for you even through this challenging time? Remember when God came through for you before? Remember and trust Him today! Come share your thoughts with us on our blog. We want to hear your story! ~ Devotionals Daily