Is This Real Life?

We are privileged to have guest devotion blog writers during the summer. Enjoy hearing from Emily Gehman today!

You’ve seen the video David After Dentist, right? It “went viral” a few years ago when a dad took a video of his son in the back seat of the car after having some teeth pulled at the dentist.

Still groggy from the anesthetic, David, who can’t be more than six or seven, just doesn’t understand.

“I feel funny.”
“Why is this happening to me?!” “Is this going to be forever?!”

Dazed, and most certainly confused, David questions his entire existence. He’s not sure about anything. “Is this real life?” he asks his dad, who assures him that yes, this is real life, and no, this is not going to be forever.

If you’ve ever been to the dentist for any work other than a cleaning, you might sympathize with David. You come out awake, but not so sure about anything else. You stagger in a half-dream state where you think this is really happening, but you’re not sure. And all you want to do is find somewhere you can sleep…but hopefully not on the couch in the waiting room.

Is This Real Life?

Sometimes, though, those questions are uttered from my mouth after worse things than going to the dentist. And they’re usually directed toward God.

“Why is this happening to me?! Is this going to be forever?! Is this real life?!”

Sometimes I wonder why the current trial is happening to me. I’m a good person. I go to church, I read my Bible, I pray. I’m not a partier. I don’t get smashed on the weekends and I don’t follow men home from the bar. I do what is right. I am godly. I have been following Jesus for a long time. So why is this happening to me? Is this even real life?

Sometimes I wonder if God is even listening. Or if he’s just the dad behind the camera laughing. Another David wondered the same thing.

“Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am godly;
save your servant, who trusts in you—

you are my God.
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you I cry all the day.”

David—the shepherd-turned-king psalmist, not the kid in the backseat—basically says, “Why is this happening to me? I feel funny. Is this going to be forever?”

Why Me?

King David appeals to the Lord with a strong argument—his own godliness. “But God, I trust in you! I am godly! I don’t follow anyone but you! Save me!”

But, it seems, to no avail. Despite his godliness and his total trust in God, he still has the “day of trouble.” He is not exempt from the woes of this world, though his godliness is clear for all to see. Karma is not a thing for David.
How often, though, in my own pride and pious godliness, have I, like King David, wondered “Why is this happening to me?” And like Kid David, complain about my is-this-real-life circumstances? “I feel funny. Is this going to be forever?”

But then I read Psalm 86 and I am reminded of my need for God’s goodness, kindness, and forgiveness. I am reminded that I need Him to teach me His ways, so I will walk in His truth.

“Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.”

That lesson in truth comes just at the right time: when I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. When I feel funny and I’m not sure if this is actually real life. Just when I think I’m a goner, when I’m really convinced this isn’t ever going to end, I’m reminded ever so gently of the truth of who God is.

“But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

Mercy. The just desserts I don’t get, but deserve.
Grace. Freedom I don’t deserve but get anyway.
Patience. When I’m whining in the backseat.
Steadfast love. Unconditional, never-let-me-go love when I have love for no one but myself. Faithfulness. God’s constant presence and steady character when I think this won’t ever end.

He’s not just the dad behind the camera laughing at his groggy kid in the backseat. No, He’s the merciful and gracious father, comforting his children in the midst of confusion, fear, and restlessness. His patient arms engulf us in unmatched steadfast love, and He faithfully holds us when we are sure this is going to last forever.

“But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious; slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

Written by: Emily Gehman