Redemption isn’t a feeling — it’s a fact you can stand on.
“Redeemed / The Solid Rock” by Jonathan Abel is a beautiful medley that brings us back to what Christ has accomplished and promised us. In the backstory, Jonathan shares how hardship kept him back to the cross, over and over, until he finally understood something: Christ has already accomplished what we spend our lives chasing. Jonathan describes himself as “prone to wander,” but every wandering path led him back to His grace. That’s the tension most believers live in daily. We know the truth, but we still drift. He gives us guidance, and we’re already thinking about where to tweak it.
Peter wrote to Christians who were facing real persecution, people who had every reason to lose hope. He told them this: “According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” (1 Peter 1:3–4).
“Kept in heaven”, not kept in your circumstances. Ask yourself, where have you been searching for security lately? Your career, your relationships, your health? All of these “securtities” shift under pressure. None of it was built to hold your weight forever.
So, build your security somewhere else. Stand on what cannot crumble. When your own strength runs out, and it will, remember whose strength never does. Let today be the day that you stop testing shaky ground and plant your feet on something solid.
Give this song a listen. Let it play while you drive, while you cook, while you sit in the quiet moments that used to fill up with worry. Sing it until it becomes your answer instead of your question. “On Christ the solid Rock I stand — all other ground is sinking sand.”
(Related scripture: 1 Peter 1:3; 1 Peter 1:8-9; Psalm 62:2)
Background:
I'm back with a rich arrangement medley of Redeemed / The Solid Rock mixed by Grammy Award winner Ronnie Brookshire. This track has a warm, uplifting vibe while really communicating the Gospel.
Though I’m “prone to wander,” the hardships in my life have brought me back to the cross over and over again – back to what Christ has accomplished and back to what he has promised us as believers. He has saved us from sin’s penalty by giving his life as the perfect sin offering. He has saved us from sin’s overwhelming power here on earth by giving us a new nature and a new desire in Him. He has promised to save us from sin’s presence when we finally enter eternity – This is promised because he alone has conquered death through his glorious resurrection.
Peter, in his letter to the persecuted Christians in Rome, points to our “living hope.”
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5
The lyrics for my medley, Redeemed / The Solid Rock, recount the Gospel and remind us of who we are and who God is. “Redeemed! How I love to proclaim it! / Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb / Redeemed through his infinite mercy / His child and forever I am”
When we go through the valleys here on earth, we must remember where our hope is found. It is not found in our physical healing, our bank account surplus, our perfect interpersonal relationships, but in Christ alone. Praise God for the salvation he has so mercifully given!
“Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8-9
So when you are faced with the unimaginable, recount this lyric: “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid Rock, I stand! All other ground is sinking sand.”
Release date: August 28, 2026
Connect with Jonathan Abel
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