Early will I seek You

O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You…— Psalm 63:1

This morning I woke up early. The time difference is still taking its toll on me. At 4:15 AM Singapore time, 9:15 AM back home, I was wide awake.

It was still dark outside, but rather than remain in bed, I decided to take a walk after my quiet time.

Perhaps all the heavy and delicious food I've been enjoying is also giving me another reason to walk! 😊

The streets surprised me. It was only 5 AM, yet there was already considerable activity. Some shops were open and people were moving around, The traffic was light, although the occasional vehicle made quite a noise.

Bu then something caught my attention.

Loudspeakers began calling people to prayer, as it always does in a Muslim country.

As I walked past some of the shops, I was surprised to see young men kneeling down and praying at 5 AM in the morning. I saw this in several places.

I stood there thinking.

We might describe some of what I saw as religious ritual or even unfounded legalism. But I couldn't escape one thought:

There was a visible desire "to seek God" early in the morning.

Obviously they are seeking God in the wrong places but that one thing challenged me.

Here were young men willing to stop whatever they were doing, get on their knees and pray while most of us were still sleeping.

It made me ask myself - Where is my hunger for God?

The Psalmist says: “Early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You.”

The issue is not simply what time we pray. God is not impressed merely because we get up at 5 AM. The deeper issue is hunger.

Do I thirst for God?

Do I desire His presence?

Do I want to hear His voice?

Do I seek Him before I seek everything else?

Jesus said: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…”.- Matthew 6:33

Perhaps the challenge for us is not that we don't have enough time.

Perhaps we have lost our hunger.

We can wake up early for a flight.

We can wake up early for work.

We can wake up early for an appointment.

We can stay awake late watching something we enjoy.

But do we still have the desire to say: “Lord, before I begin my day, I want to meet with You.”

This morning, I was challenged by something I saw in the streets of a foreign city.

Sometimes God can speak to us through unexpected people and unexpected circumstances.

I came back from my walk asking God for something very simple:

“Lord, give me again a hunger for You.”

Not merely a religious routine. Not merely an obligation. But a genuine thirst for His presence.

Reflection

What do I seek first when I wake up?

What occupies my thoughts before I turn to God?

Have I become so busy with life that I have lost my hunger for His presence?

Perhaps today we can pray the prayer of the Psalmist:

“O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You.”

Lord, give me a deeper hunger for You.

And perhaps tomorrow morning, before we reach for our phones, emails or schedules, we can simply whisper:

“Good morning, Lord. I have come to seek You.”