The Wait of Abraham

September 8, 2026 - Minister Dominique Rutledge (Speaker)

Oooooweee! This Sunday was bananas!

After worship completely wiped us out in the best way, we pulled ourselves together for the word when… surprise, surprise… Apostle didn’t preach!

Our very own Minister Dominique Rutledge stepped up and brought the fire.

The month of September at Zadok is all about birthing out long-held gifts that are finally due. And Dom definitely delivered!

If you’ve ever felt boredom, anxiety, or impatience creep up during a waiting season, this message is for you. Dominique broke down the purpose in the pause using principles from Abraham’s life on how to wait well.

Let’s get into it.

What do doctors' offices, car shops, office buildings, hospitals, and virtual meetings all have in common?

They all have waiting rooms.

Being stuck in a waiting room gets zero stars, it’s pure "loading screen" energy. Whether you’re a walk-in or you’ve had an appointment for weeks, everyone sits there waiting for their name to be called.

And even when they finally call you, the relief is short-lived because you’re usually just moved to another holding area. And don’t let someone walk in after you and get called before you… bombastic side eye.

Real talk, waiting is tough. We naturally wrestle with the million-dollar question: What is taking so long?

Here’s the good news: the waiting room has purpose.

While you’re stuck waiting, movement is happening behind closed doors to make the space ready for you to occupy. Cleaning is taking place, patience is being perfected, commitment is being tried, and preparation is underway.

The reality of the waiting room is that you can’t control the timing. So, let's look at Abraham, whose entire journey became a real-life waiting room the moment God called him.

We usually focus on Abraham’s big headline moments: his legendary faith, his status as the father of our faith, how Ishmael got here, or Isaac on the altar. But we often miss what he teaches us about waiting.

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

-Hebrews 11:8-10 (NKJV)

To really get this, we have to go back to the beginning:

Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you...”

-Genesis 12:1 (NKJV)

As iconic as that promise sounds, this was not an easy ask. Abraham came from nobility, had major status, and was heavily blessed with possessions. Simply put, Abraham was HIM.

Yet God essentially asked him to forfeit his prestige, leave his comfort zone, and step into total obscurity. When God calls for movement, you need absolute assurance in His voice and total trust in His track record.

“What are you willing to forfeit when God calls for your movement?” — Dominique Rutledge

Are you ready to exchange your comfort for the unknown? Are you willing to give up friends, networks, safety, status?

“When God calls, obedience is not optional. It’s the requirement.” — Dominique Rutledge

The immediate requirement is movement. Whether you actually step out into the room He's prepared for you... that’s entirely up to you.

This was Abraham’s orientation process. When God gives you a vision for your destiny, it always comes with an onboarding period.

Think about standard job orientation: it’s designed to help you adjust to new policies, procedures, and expectations. But unlike a corporate gig where orientation lasts a day or two, maybe even a week, Kingdom orientation takes as long as you need to get familiar with the handbook.

And your very first stop on the schedule is the waiting room.

"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going." -Hebrews 11:8 (NKJV)

Your first evaluation is your obedience.

The waiting room isn't a place of inactivity; it's a place of strategic movement. Some people know how to wait, but they’ve completely stopped moving. They're sitting stationary while God is waiting for a response.

So what’s your response? When your name gets called, will the One you’ve been waiting on find you meeting expectations or needing improvement?

Whether your issue is with movement or waiting, how are you spending your time? What are you doing with what God said? Are the instructions sitting on the shelf of your spirit?

If you’ve spiritually flatlined, it’s time for the Holy Spirit to hit you with the defib paddles: CHARGE — CLEAR — WE GOT YOU BACK! NOW LET'S GET MOVING!

Blow the dust off what God said and get back into motion. Look at how Abram moved when God appeared to him again:

“Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.” -Genesis 12:7 (NKJV)

After Abram departed, he made it to Canaan, only to find that the Canaanites were already occupying the land. Now hold up. Imagine moving out of your current place and arriving at the new place that was promised to you only to see that it has tenants.

Have you ever heard a promise from God that seemed opposite of your current reality? I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all sat in that uncomfortable tension of when our anticipation doesn’t line up with the actuality of our situation.

So when the math wasn’t mathing, how did Abram react? He built an altar and worshiped.

Your posture while you wait is just as important as the promise itself. — Dominique Rutledge

Waiting exposes what you’re made of. Can you still worship when your reality seems to contradict His word? When you call on the name of the Lord—on Yahweh, the One who brings things into existence—you remind yourself who is running the show.

“God doesn’t need a reminder of who He is, the reminder is for YOU.” — Dominique Rutledge

Resting on the journey is easy when you remember who you’re waiting on.

Pause and declare this over yourself right now: I’ve got to see what He said.

After Abram separated from Lot, God gave him the full visual:

“Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” -Genesis 13:14-17 (NKJV)

If you’re going to see what God said, you must do ALL that He says.

“Incomplete obedience is still disobedience.” — Dominique Rutledge

God originally told Abram to leave his country, his family, and his father’s house. That means everybody (except Sarah). But what did he do? He brought his nephew Lot with him.

What is a delay in your complete obedience costing you?

Are you holding onto relationships or networks God told you to cut loose?

Are you busy trying to rescue people you were never assigned to save—people who wouldn't drop you a lifeline if you were drowning?

Tension happens when you try to carry baggage into a space God asked you to walk into light.

The wait isn't punishment; it's protection. The waiting room builds your capacity through prayer and worship, processing you so you don't fumble the promise when it finally arrives.

“The wait is literally protecting you from you.” — Dominique Rutledge

The waiting room is a place of testing and trials. James 1 said it like this:

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” -James 1:2-4 (NKJV)

The Holy Spirit is using this season to make you whole. So stop trying to rush out of the kitchen—let God cook!

Which brings us right back to where we started:

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

-Hebrews 11:8-10 (NKJV)

Ready for the plot twist?

Abraham waited 25 years to receive his immediate heir, Isaac. But he never fully inherited the physical land in his lifetime. Instead, God placed the Promised Land in a Kingdom Trust.

• The Grantor (God): Writes the rules, funds the trust, and provides the assets.

• The Trustee (Abraham): Manages the vision and holds spiritual title.

• The Beneficiary (His Descendants): Receives the ultimate inheritance.

“And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him.” -Acts 7:5 (NKJV)

At 75 years old, Abraham realized something game-changing: Not everything God does in your life is actually about you. Some promises are designed for the generations coming behind you.

Genesis 12:1-9 gives us the exact blueprint for the waiting room:

• God speaks instruction.

• You respond with faith & obedience.

• You receive confirmation along the journey.

• You build while you wait until you see what He said.

  
  

Abraham waited two and half decades for one promise in his lifetime. How many promises are sitting on hold in your life simply because you stopped moving?

God doesn’t waste the waiting room.

Embrace the wait, adjust your posture, keep moving, and watch God work. His promises are still YES and AMEN!