Some days are diamonds,
some days are stones.
Sometimes the hard times
won’t leave me alone.
Sometimes the cold wind
blows a chill in my bones.
Some days are diamonds,
some days are stones!
—John Denver

Of all the themes in Scripture, the sanctuary truth is the most magnificent. Because it focuses upon the presence of God in the ordinary experiences of life, it stimulates our thinking, strengthens our resolve, and soothes our sometimes-troubled feelings. The sanctuary truth is the golden chain to which we link all of Scripture’s other themes.

We can summarize the sanctuary truth in just one word, Immaneul, which means "God with us." It reminds us that we need not travel to some distant place, enjoy some special experience, accomplish some great dead, display some unusual talent, or create some huge fortune to see God at work. All we have to do is look around and notice that no matter what occurs there is a power in everything that helps make things better. Bones mend, crops grow, people love, ducks quack, babies smile!

All things that happen are not God’s will. That would be bad news. The sanctuary truth is good news. It says that in the middle of each moment in every life God prompts as much health and healing as possible.

"Have them make me a sanctuary," the Lord declares in the first portion of Scripture, "so that I may dwell among them" (Exod. 25:8) At Scripture’s dramatic center, we read that in Jesus "the Word became flesh and lived (sanctuaried) among us" (John 1:14). The last book of Scripture anticipates a time when a "a loud voice from the throne" will proclaim, "See, the home (sanctuary) of God is among mortals. He will dwell (sanctuary) with them, they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them" (Rev. 21:3). At the beginning and end of Scripture, and at every point in between, the sanctuary truth is the same: Immanuel, God with us.

The sanctuary truth comforted Joseph after his brothers sold him into slavery. It strengthened Moses as he led the people of Israel out of Egyptian bondage. It cheered Daniel as he pondered the plight of his people who once again found themselves in captivity. It encouraged John the Baptist as he awaited his unjust execution. It helped Steven stick by what he had preached while others stoned him to death. It enabled Paul to sing in prison. It prompted the Revelator to anticipate with joy and gladness the healing of the nations from his island of solitude and sorrow.

Although we sometimes overlook them, many of the Psalms express the sanctuary truth. "The Lord answer you in the day of trouble!" blesses one. "May he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion" (Ps. 20:2). Another expresses the plea of someone in great trouble: "Hear the voice of my supplications, as I cry to you for help, as I lift my hands toward your most holy [or ’innermost’] sanctuary" (Ps. 28:2). More than one Psalm speaks of the sanctuary when praising God: "So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life." (Ps. 63:2) Some Psalms praise God’s strength because it empowers the weak: "Awesome is God in his sanctuary, the God of Israel; he gives power and strength to his people" (Ps. 68: 35).

At least one Psalmist declares that only in the sanctuary did he see the ultimate destiny of evil doers. Speaking of how they often prosper, he writes "when I thought to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end" (Ps. 73:16,17) Some Psalms connect the idea of God the Creator with the sanctuary truth. "For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary" (Ps. 96: 6) The last Psalm is an exultant summary: "Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament!" (Ps. 150:1).

The sanctuary truth saved from complete despair those who suffered the Great Disappointment when Jesus Christ did not triumphantly return on October 22, 1844, as they had anticipated. We miss the point when we endlessly debate whether they properly understood every verse of Scripture, an accomplishment that we cannot claim for ourselves. They probably were wrong about some details. They got the big picture, however!

They were not alone. They had a reason to keep on meeting. It was a good idea to study, preach the gospel, build hospitals, schools, publishing houses, and food factories all over the world and develop one of the largest and most effective development and relief agencies ever. Life was worth living!

This is how God can lift our burdens. This is how God can transform our sorrows. This is how God can correct our mistakes. This is how God can help us stand up straight again. This is how God can heal our broken hearts. This is how God can help us laugh at ourselves!

The experiences of everyday life vary. Some are glorious peaks, others are gloomy gullies and most are so-so plateaus in between. Perhaps surprisingly, it is possible to feel just as alone and alienated at the top as on the bottom. Although he did always mention it, Paul of Tarsus understood how the sanctuary truth relates to this reality. "I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty," he wrote to his friends while in jail. Nevertheless, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Phil. 4: 12,14). One of the Psalms puts it this way: "If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there" (Ps. 139:8).

We will lose our way if we forget the sanctuary truth. Immanuel!

Visit Spectrum’s Message Board for an ongoing discussion of this quarter’s subject, "The Gospel, 1844, and Judgment"

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