Pausing to Praise
"If we don't push pause to praise, we get craze."
Pastor Todd Doxzon said it early and came back to it often, and most of us felt it land, because most of us are living it: all gas, no brakes, busier than ever, jamming too many things into every day. The question driving this message wasn't complicated.
How often do you actually stop and remember what God has done?
Pastor Todd shared two of his own rhythms before he ever opened the text. For years he kept a weekly pause where he'd turn his phone off Monday night and not turn it back on until Wednesday morning.
More recently he's added a monthly habit he calls "photo praise and prune" where he scrolls through his phone, deleting the clutter, and letting the good photos do their work. A granddaughter at breakfast. A young man a coach had texted about.
Moments he almost rushed past, but when he stopped to look he began to praise.
That's exactly what King David does in 1 Chronicles 16. David had finally brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem — the second time, the right way, after a first attempt done "the world's way" ended in disaster. With the Ark home, David throws a party of worship, and three things flow out of his life that Pastor Todd asked us to write down.
generosity.
After the offerings, David "distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins" (1 Chronicles 16:3, NKJV). David worshiped God supremely, then loved people supernaturally — which, as Pastor Todd noted, sounds a lot like the mission of Love Church. You don't strive for that kind of giving. It flows.
gratitude.
David hands a freshly written song to the worship team, and at its center sits one word: "Remember" (1 Chronicles 16:15, NKJV). Pastor Todd remembered out loud — back to 2020, to a half-finished building, to a bank meeting that said he'd be over a million dollars short, to praying on the raw concrete and finding a construction worker's cup that read "dream it and do it." He needed to remember God's faithfulness in order to walk into the future.
Humility.
When God tells David that the Messiah will come through his own lineage, David doesn't puff up. He sits down before the Lord and says, "Who am I, O Lord God?" (1 Chronicles 17:16, NKJV). Pastor Todd landed the plane in Philippians 2, where Jesus "made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant" (Philippians 2:7, NKJV) — the CEO of the universe, born in a manger, washing feet.
So what do you do this week?
Three questions to sit with:
Where is your weekly pause? If you don't have one, when will it be?
What is one thing God has done that you don't want to forget?
What's one way you could be a blessing to a neighbor, a coworker, or a friend?
Before you touch your phone tomorrow, touch your Bible. Then begin to praise.
We are a community in Omaha, Nebraska helping people experience God’s best for their lives. Sundays at 9 + 11 AM.
