Blog for the week of Sept. 20, 2026

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” -Psalm 105:4, (NIV)

There’s a saying attributed to Corrie Ten Boom*: “If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God you'll be at rest.” Corrie Ten Boom wasn’t just being pithy when she voiced that sentiment, she lived it. Born in the Netherlands, she watched her home ravaged by the horrors of World War II. As the Nazis began their systematic capture and slaughter of “undesirables,” the Ten Boom family started with their neighbors, a Jewish family named the Weils, hid them; and eventually joined the underground network to smuggle Jewish people to safety. It is estimated 800 Jews were saved from the holocaust by Corrie, her sister Betsie, and father Casper.

For the Ten Booms, it was their focus on the God of Scripture that told them that every person had dignity, and that the Jews were God’s chosen people. Unfortunately, the Ten Booms would be arrested and sent to concentration camps themselves. Betsie and Casper would not survive. It is said a clerical error freed Corrie from the concentration camp days before the prisoner cohort she was a member of was killed in the gas chambers. Corrie would go on to a lucrative career as an author, speaker, and humanitarian.

In Psalm 105:4, the psalmist encourages the community of faith to remain continually focused on God - to the extent that the verb extends from the more passive “look” to the more active “seek.” When we see the strength of God, we don’t need to worry about our weakness. When we see the glory of God, we don’t need to worry about our shame. When we seek the face of God, we don’t need to worry about anything or anyone else.

 The broader context of Psalm 105 is the community is invited to recall the covenant God made with Abraham (Gen. 12). The covenant is the foundation as the psalm moves to the stories of Jacob and Joseph, and ends in the after events of the Exodus in the promised land. The frame is that of God’s faithfulness to the covenant He made.

Because God is faithful, we can seek His face and be at rest. No matter what the prevailing armies do; no matter what our culture tolerates as “good;” we can remember God’s faithfulness and seek His strength. Corrie Ten Boom understood this. We can choose to join her efforts in following Jesus’s teaching to love our neighbor. Even in the midst of tragedy, we can seek the Lord and rely on His strength.

May it be so with us,

Matt

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Announcements and Other Thoughts:

-Safe Family Sunday this Sunday Sept. 27 (during announcement time)

Joanna Williams will introduce opportunities for our church to get involved in supporting Stillwater and Cushing families in need. Visit her table in the foyer!

-Safe Families FAQ, Tues Sept. 29 - 5:30-8:00pm at FBC

This is an open forum for the community to learn more about opportunities with Safe Families.  A light pizza dinner provided

-Disciple Leaders Meeting, Monday Night Oct. 5 -  5:30-8:00 at FBC

The Cimarron Baptist Association is hosting a Group Tune Up conference for all CBA churches at FBC in conjunction with the Disciple Leaders Network. (Pastor Matt is on the board for DLN). Anyone serving in group ministry or interested in getting involved with groups are invited to attend.

-Are you Part of a Group?

Groups are how we GIVE together, GO together, and GROW together! If you are interested in joining a group, there is one for you: Sunday Morning Groups meet 9:30-10:30, and Wednesday Night groups meet 5:30-7:00. (Women have a repeat meeting on Thursday morning from 9:30-11:00).