Devotionals

Early Will I Seek Thee: First Fruits of the Morning

by Cecil Maner
07/28/26
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Scripture Focus

Psalm 63:1-3 (KJV)

“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; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.”

Lamentations 3:22-25 (KJV)

“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV)

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Reflection
The day begins not with the demands of the world, but with the deliberate turning of the heart toward the Lord Jesus. David, in the wilderness, cried out, “early will I seek thee.” He understood that the first moments belong to God—the first fruits of time, attention, and affection. Jesus is the spring that feeds the stream of the entire day. Without Him the hours run dry; with Him the soul is watered and the path is made straight.

Yet the flesh rises first with its own claims: the ache in the body, the dull weight of weariness, the mental list of the day’s busyness already pressing in. There is the quick impulse to reach for the phone, to fill the quiet with the noise of the television, or to let the mind race ahead into plans and pressures. These are the dry and thirsty land of the natural man—distractions that would claim the morning before the Lord has been sought.

So we rise and deliberately turn from them. We acknowledge Him. We open His Word and ask the Holy Ghost to teach us His ways. As the Lord Jesus promised, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26). We do not come as strangers seeking entrance, but as those already made “the righteousness of God in him.” The sinless One was made sin for us, that we who were once far off might stand complete in His finished work. This is our identity—not earned, not felt into existence, but declared by the blood of the Lamb.

Because His compassions are new every morning and His faithfulness is great, we can hope with settled confidence. The Lord is our portion. He is good to the soul that seeks Him. Therefore the lips that open the day in praise continue throughout the hours in thanksgiving, for His lovingkindness is better than life itself.

Cross References for Further Meditation

•  Psalm 5:3 – “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”

•  Psalm 143:8 – “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust.”

•  Mark 1:35 – “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”

•  Romans 3:22-24; Philippians 3:9 – Our righteousness is of God by faith in Christ.

•  Hebrews 6:19 – “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast.”

•  John 16:13 – “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.”

Prayer
Lord Jesus, Thou art my God. Early will I seek Thee. My soul thirsts for Thee more than the dry ground thirsts for rain. I give Thee the first fruits of this day—my thoughts, my words, my strength. Quiet the claims of the flesh, the aches, the busyness, and every impulse to fill the silence with lesser things. Holy Ghost, open the Scriptures and teach me all things, bringing to my remembrance whatsoever Christ has said. I confess that by Thy sacrifice I am made the righteousness of God in Thee. Thou art my portion and my sure hope. Let my lips praise Thee because Thy lovingkindness is better than life. Great is Thy faithfulness; Thy mercies are new this morning. Keep me abiding in Thee all the day long. Amen.

Closing Thought
His mercies are new every morning—meet them with a heart already turned toward Him.