the centerpiece

Sometimes, even I can't miss the message God's trying to get through to me. 
He's that good to keep sending me His Word until I succomb to the theme and it sinks in...deeply...making the distance down from my brain to my heart.
That's been noted to be the longest distance between two points, btw...those 12-18 inches from your head to your heart.
All last week, in my quiet time, I read passages that contained verses that led me to the same thought.  Over and over and over again.

"Turn, LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love."  Psalm 6:4
"My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart."  Psalm 7:10
"You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry."  Psalm 10:17
"For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face."  Psalm 11:7
"You, LORD, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked, who freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race."  Psalm 12:7-8

All week long I was encouraged by God's Word to remember that He is the only One who can save...shield...and deliver.  When I look elsewhere for my protection and start relying on myself or someone else in this world for shelter and encouragement, I'm leave myself vulnerable to the schemes of the devil. 
Then comes Sunday.
Oh, He brought out the message loud and clear if I hadn't heard it already. 
In Sunday School we studied Psalm 31.  In this Psalm, I love how David starts out acknowledging God, states his feelings and struggles, then rightfully so returns to praising his Almighty God.  The only one who is able to deliver him. 
It does no good to stop with the stating of our problems or continue to process them over and over again in our minds.  That doesn't change things.  Focusing on our God and what He can do through us in our times of struggle and what He does for us to help us through them is the only appropriate response to have. 
The focus has to be on Christ.  Not our situation.    

Praise be to the LORD, for he showed me the wonders of his love
when I was in a city under siege.
In my alarm I said,
“I am cut off from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.
Love the LORD, all his faithful people!
The LORD preserves those who are true to him,
but the proud he pays back in full.
Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.
Psalm 31:21-24

Come Big Church time and a message from Revelation 5. 
A.maz.ing.

Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”
But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.
Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne.     Revelation 5:1-6a

John saw these things occuring and felt the heartache of the situation.  No one could open the scroll.  He wept at the reality of it all.  Then an elder encouraged him to stop crying and see who was the One with the credentials needed to solve the problem. 
He saw Christ.
Christ at the center of the throne. 
The only Answer to the problem. 
Good news!  Good news!
He's still there and He's still the answer.
All I have to do is stop crying and see Him.