Early Will I Seek You

"O God, you are my God, early will I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings." Psalm 63:1-7

One thing I've been learning recently is the importance of seeking God early. There is just something about getting up and starting your day off with what matters, which I think is time with God and His word. Making time with God a priority in your life, to the point of losing a few minutes sleep over it, is of significance. I can't necessarily explain it, but I know for myself that God has told me that He wants to be FIRST. That first includes being the first part of my day. We're to seek Him first, and these verses talk about seeking Him early.

In addition, I'm finding it helpful to get up in the morning and do my exercising before my children wake up. While this is no easy task to roll out of bed before the dawn's light, I believe that it is helping me get my workout in (whereas there are some days that I assume I can take advantage of nap time or another slot in the day only to find that it gets filled with other needs). If I want to be completely unselfish in the time I'm taking to do my exercising, then waking up before my family is key, at least for me.

What these verses offer is a soul satisfied as with the richest of foods. God understands our struggle. He knows what rich foods taste and feel like, and He promises to satisfy our very soul just like that. The thought of being satisfied by God keeps me going. It's not always easy...or, more like it, it's rarely easy to wake up early to do devotions and exercise, but I know God rewards us for being obedient to what He asks us to do. May He bless you richly today!

Dear God, help us to seek You early. Help us seek you FIRST in both timing and in motivation. May we honor and glorify You with our choices. Help getting up early seem more like a privelege than a chore. We thank You and praise You. In Jesus' name, AMEN!