TomNicholas.org

Last Sabbath, we did not try to resolve everything.
We listened.

We slowed our speech, our expectations, and our urgency long enough to sit attentively before the Word and before one another. For some, that space felt grounding. For others, it felt unsettling. For many, it was both at the same time.

That mixture is important to name.

Because when a church begins to listen together, different hearts experience the same moment very differently.

Some are relieved.
Some are restless.
Some feel ready to move—and wonder why we are not already doing so.

All of that belongs in the room.

Agreement without ease

I’ve sensed that many in our church—especially those who walk closely with God—resonate deeply with what is being said. You agree that we must listen. You agree that Scripture is meant to be received, not rushed. You agree that formation precedes action.

And yet, something inside remains uneasy.

Slowing down can feel like hesitation.
Like a loss of momentum.
Like a betrayal of hard-won obedience.

For those who have learned to respond quickly to God’s voice, restraint does not feel neutral. It can feel like neglect. It can feel like standing still when faith once required motion.

That tension deserves to be spoken aloud—not dismissed, not spiritualized away, but honored.

Especially for those who lead

Many who feel this tension most strongly are leaders in our church.

You are accustomed to carrying responsibility.
To noticing what needs to happen.
To initiating movement rather than waiting for permission.

Leadership instincts are not wrong. They are gifts. But every gift must be formed.

In this season, God is shaping not our willingness to act, but our willingness to remain present together while He speaks. That is a different kind of leadership than most of us were trained for.

The temptation for leaders—especially spiritually alive leaders—is to surge ahead out of love, concern, or protectiveness. But Scripture consistently reminds us that the people of God are not called to outrun one another. We are called to walk together.

There are moments when the most faithful leadership act is not to move first, but to stay.

What slowing down is—and what it is not

Slowing down does not mean we are less obedient.
It does not mean we lack conviction.
It does not mean we are afraid to act.

It means we are refusing to confuse speed with faithfulness.

It means we are choosing to trust that God can speak clearly—not only to individuals, but to a body that listens together.

It means we are allowing space for shared discernment, shared language, and shared readiness—so that when we move, we move as one people, not as scattered individuals running at different speeds.

A different kind of work

The work of this season is quieter than many of us are used to.

It looks like prayer that lingers rather than concludes quickly.
Scripture that is dwelt in rather than summarized.
Conversations that make room for uncertainty rather than rushing toward solutions.

For some, that feels like a loss.
In truth, it is a deepening.

God is not asking us to do less.
He is teaching us how to hear together before we do more.

An invitation for the week ahead

As we move into this week, my invitation is simple:

Pay attention—not only to what you think God is saying, but to how it feels to remain with one another while listening.

Notice where impatience arises.
Notice where peace settles.
Notice what surfaces when action is delayed but presence is maintained.

These are not obstacles to overcome.
They are part of the formation God is doing among us.

The church is not behind.
We are being aligned.

And alignment takes time.

Let us remain faithful—to God, to His Word, and to one another—as we learn to keep pace together.