Psalms 63:1

Sue Tarpley Psalms 63:1

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; KJV

Psalms 63 finds King David in the desert fleeing from his enemies. Though he is in the middle of a physical void, it is clear in this verse that David trusts, embraces and seeks HIS God, no excuses. David not only seeks God under duress in the middle of the desert, he also seeks God EARLY. It is the word EARLY that caused me to do some reflection. I believe in being early for scheduled events, but when used in the context of time of day, early isn't my favorite hour. I much prefer a few extra minutes of sleep to getting up any earlier than needed. What about all those times in the Bible when things started happening EARLY? Teaching, praying, making sacrifices, gathering manna, meeting God, going to the tomb, marching around Jericho, crossing the Jordan river…. you get the picture. These were all amazing events that deepened people's relationships with God, even before the breakfast table had been cleared! I hate to think how many of those events I would have opted to miss.

The word EARLY in Psalms 63:1 implies being eager, even driven, to pursue something of great importance and value. Consider the early bird, a Black Friday shopper or a fisherman. These early risers all make a dedicated effort to start in the wee hours of the day to find something that is important, perhaps even vital, to them. Their intentional timing and motivation reward them with what they set out to find. Likewise, David rises early in a dry desert (no pillow top mattress for him) so that he can meet and commune with his God. David's longing for God is so great that it is the very reason he is early in the first place. His desire for God overshadows even his thirst for water in a very dry land.

So when and how do we seek God? Is our daily walk with God so strong that we make the effort to purposefully rise to meet Him every morning? How motivated and eager are we to strengthen our relationship with God as we start each day? Seeking God is one thing; seeking God EARLY promises us something totally more amazing!

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee; (Reginald Heber) help us to seek You EARLY today and always. Amen