God has never waited for perfect people to do His work. From the very beginning, God has chosen to build His purposes in partnership with people who are simply willing to trust Him and obey—sometimes imperfectly, often slowly, but sincerely.
In Genesis, we see God begin the long, patient work of building a nation. It starts with a call to Abraham: “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). There’s no map, no timeline, no GPS—only a promise and an invitation to trust.
God promises Abraham three things: land, descendants, and blessing. Yet the journey begins by asking Abraham to let go of two of them—his land and his people. Obedience requires movement. Faith requires release.
As Abraham journeys, he builds altars—physical reminders that God is present, faithful, and at work. These altars mark more than geography; they mark trust. Even when Abraham stumbles—lying about Sarah, attempting to “help” God through Hagar—God does not abandon him. God continues working through faithfulness, not flawlessness.
The pattern continues with Isaac, and then Jacob—a man whose story includes deception, fear, and running from consequences. Yet even Jacob encounters God in unexpected places. Alone, fearful, using a stone for a pillow, Jacob discovers that “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I was not aware of it” (Genesis 28:16).
Years later, returning home with a family of his own, Jacob builds another altar at Bethel. He recognizes what only time and reflection can reveal: God has been with him the whole way.
Through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God builds a nation not because they were perfect—but because they kept responding. They trusted. They obeyed. And they allowed God to work in God’s time.
The same invitation remains for us today. Be faithful. Be obedient. And trust that the God who led them is still leading us.
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Sermon video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apCvre_vqsE
[Blog post created by Sunday Message Repurposing Assistant from original sermon content preached by Rev. Kent F. Jackson on January 11, 2026.]
Sermon Series NOTE: The Story by Max Lucado ch. 2 “God Builds a Nation”
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