Why David’s Parade Fell Apart (and How Slowing Down Can Save Yours)

Microwaved fish.

Ever done it? I did once in a church staff kitchen and nearly got written out of the Lamb’s Book of Life. You learn real quick there are just some things that aren’t meant to be hurried. Fish. First dates. Tattoos. Eye surgery. And the presence of God.

Let’s be honest with each other, some mornings feel like a triathlon you didn’t train for. You wake up already behind, clothes never were switched to the dryer, spill coffee on your shirt, try to find your keys, and by the time you think about spending time with God, you're like, “Maybe He can just ride with me to work?”

It's not that we don’t care. It's just that we're conditioned to go-go-go. And when the pace never lets up, even sacred things start getting shoved into the margins. But the presence of God was never meant to live in your leftovers. It deserves a seat at the table.

But there’s this story in 2 Samuel 6 that flips that on its head.

Here’s how it goes:(2 Samuel 6:3–11 NLT)

We see here David wants to bring the Ark (the physical representation of God’s presence) back to Jerusalem and he gathers thirty thousand men to do this. There’s music, celebration, all the Instagrammable moments. Really try and picture this, it must've looked like a scene out of Drumline but with less Nick Cannon and more King David doing praise cardio. See it as a marching band, but everyone’s in sandals, sweating, blowing rams’ horns, and trying not to trip over their own joy. It was loud, it was vivid, and it was probably one rogue tambourine away from chaos. And they put the Ark on a new cart. Fancy. Efficient. But a seriously wrong move...

Because then the ox stumbles. And Uzzah, just trying to be helpful, reaches out and touches the Ark. Boom. He’s dead.

The whole vibe changes. David’s angry. Then afraid. And instead of finishing the parade, he drops the Ark off at some guy’s house. That guy? Obed-Edom.

Now, here’s the part that gets me: Obed doesn’t panic. He doesn’t say, “I’m not ready for that.” He just says, “Yeah, okay. Bring it here.” And for three months, while David is figuring things out, Obed-Edom is living with the presence of God and it starts changing everything.

The Bible says God blessed his whole household. Why? All because he didn’t rush it. He just made room and housed it.

Real Talk:
If this is really gonna be the best summer yet then pausing matters. I know that sounds crazy. I’m the guy who’s usually going 90 mph with a coffee in one hand and five open tabs in my brain. But this summer, we’re not trying to just coast through—we’re trying to carry something. And that takes intentionality.

You can’t host the presence of God at a dead sprint. You have to make space. You have to slow down. And yeah, that feels upside down when everything in culture says "more, faster, now." But here’s the truth: the deeper things of God aren’t found in the rush. They’re found in the quiet. In the pause. In the moments when we choose presence over productivity.

C.S. Lewis once said, "The present is the point at which time touches eternity."
Dallas Willard said it this way: "Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day."

So what if this week, the most spiritual thing you did was pause?

Try This:

• Ride in silence once this week. No podcast. No music. Just ask, “Jesus, what's on Your mind?”
• Linger one extra minute after a prayer or reading. Don’t rush to the next thing.
• Before your next big decision or meeting, say this: “Let me feel your presence in here, Lord.”

Leadership Side:
If you’re leading anything - your house, your crew at work, a serve team - then your pace becomes their pace. And if you’re constantly sprinting, they’ll either burn out trying to keep up or bail altogether.

David figured this out and he slowed down. When he went back for the Ark, he didn’t shove it on a cart. He carried it.

So let’s carry God's presence. With intention. With reverence. With actual margin in our lives. And maybe… throw out that leftover fish.

Let’s go.