by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan
This morning, the Lord drew me to Deuteronomy 26, where Moses reminds Israel of their responsibility once they enter the land. They are told to:
- Bring their firstfruits as an offering to God (Deut. 26:2) – recognizing that every blessing comes from Him.
- Confess their history—that God delivered them from Egypt, out of slavery, into promise (Deut. 26:5–9).
- Rejoice and share with the vulnerable—the Levites, foreigners, fatherless, and widows (Deut. 26:11–13).
- Declare allegiance—“You have declared this day that the LORD is your God… and the LORD has declared that you are His treasured possession” (Deut. 26:17–18).
This chapter shows us that God’s people stand out most in times of vulnerability and need. We don’t blend into the chaos of the world—we care for the weak, we confess our dependence on Him, we rejoice in His goodness, and we walk set apart as His treasured people.
So when society crumbles, His people are marked by their obedience, their generosity, and their radiant difference. We are to shine in the darkness because we belong to the God who REDEEMED us.
I pondered this chapter for about an hour, and a hymn was brought to my remembrance. As I began humming “Standing on the Promises” while getting ready for work at the welding shop today, the Lord reminded me of something weighty.
There are many who call themselves believers, but they offer Him only lip service. Publicly or privately, they harbor unbelief.
They pick apart Scripture—denouncing the Old Testament, questioning the relevance of the New, or using stagnant theological arguments to defend their doubts. As a matter of fact, the Father calls it what it is: UNBELIEF in its ugliest form.
That very unbelief is why He placed a hymn on my heart this morning. Because I know WHOSE I am and WHERE I stand—on a firm, strong, sure foundation. From that place, these words rose up like a refrain:
Placed Among the Darkness
by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan
(to the tune of Standing on the Promises)
Verse 1
Placed among the darkness,
I will shine with His likeness.
Thank You, Lord, for Your righteous—
On the solid Rock I stand.
Chorus
On the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
On the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
Verse 2
Oh, blessed Isaiah fifty-three,
For my Jesus has saved me!
He bore my sin, my grief, my shame,
I’ll forever praise His name.
Chorus
On the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
On the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
Verse 3
Reject the One who sent His Son,
In doing this, your life’s undone.
You call yourself believer true,
Yet you don’t know Who you stand unto.
Chorus
On the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
On the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
Verse 4
May the strong arm of the Lord
Redeem your life Himself;
For your bones lie dry, forgotten,
In the valley’s shadow of death.
Verse 5
Dry without the living Word,
The breath of life, the Voice once heard—
But He redeems, He calls, He saves,
The risen Lord who conquered the grave.
Final Chorus
On the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
On the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
Reflection
This morning as I drove to the welding shop, my heart was heavy—not just for myself, but for the 8.1 billion souls that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit longs to love, to reach, and to save. Out of that heaviness, the Lord placed a song in my mouth. I sang it with the rhythm of Standing on the Promises, and it became my prayer and declaration. I typed it above, and I am so thankful to be able to praise and to worship my God regardless of circumstances, of uncertainty, and of heartbreak.
What breaks the heart of the Father? For He has heartbreak for the very heart of the nations. He reminded me as I sang during my morning commute.
A Call to Return
Beloved, the hour is late, but the invitation is still open. The One who created you and the One who redeemed you long for your whole heart. He is not asking for lip service. He is not asking for social media rants. He is calling you to return—fully, humbly, completely to HIM.
If you have drifted, come back. If unbelief has hardened your heart, repent. If you’ve tried to stand on anything else, let it go. There is only one sure foundation, and His name is Jesus.
A Prayer
Father, we repent for the times we’ve doubted, strayed, or built our foundation on sinking sand. Thank You for sending Jesus, our Advocate, our Redeemer, and our Rock. Call us back to Yourself—heart, soul, mind, and strength. May we shine with Your likeness even in the darkness, until the day we stand before You face to face. Amen.
Scriptural References for This Post
Standing on the Rock / Firm Foundation
- Matthew 7:24–25 – “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
- 1 Corinthians 3:11 – “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Jesus as Savior and Redeemer
- Isaiah 53:5 – “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
- John 14:6 – “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
- Colossians 1:13–14 – “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Light in the Darkness
- John 1:5 – “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
- Matthew 5:14–16 – “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Dry Bones / Valley of Death
- Ezekiel 37:4–5 – “Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them, Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.’”
- Psalm 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Call to Return / Repentance
- Joel 2:12–13 – “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.”
- James 4:7–8 – “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
- 2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
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