O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee. With reverence and trembling joy I come before thee, acknowledging thee not as a distant name or an unknown power, but as my God—my portion, my refuge, my strength, and my sure foundation. I confess that my life is not sustained by bread alone, nor can my heart be satisfied by the things that glitter for a moment and then fade. Thou alone art God, and thou alone art worthy of my first love, my earliest attention, and my deepest devotion.

Lord, teach me what it truly means to seek thee early. Let it be early in the morning, before my thoughts scatter and my duties press upon me; early in the decisions I make, before I lean upon my own understanding; early in my days, before time slips away and I discover I have spent my best energies on lesser things. Draw me to thyself when the world is quiet, when I can listen, when I can bow, when I can remember that I belong to thee. If my heart resists, soften it; if my mind wanders, gather it; if my will rebels, subdue it with thy gentle authority.

My soul thirsteth for thee. I bring thee the honest confession of my need. I thirst for thy presence, for thy nearness, for the living reality of thy fellowship. Quench in me the shallow cravings that cannot satisfy, and awaken in me a holy hunger that only thou canst fill. When I am tempted to drink from broken cisterns—approval, comfort, success, distraction—turn my eyes again to thee, the fountain of living waters. Let my inner life not be dry from neglect, but refreshed by communion with thee. Teach my soul to thirst more for thy word than for mere information, more for prayer than for noise, more for holiness than for ease.

My flesh longeth for thee. Even in my weakness, even in my weariness, even in the limitations of this mortal frame, I desire thee. Sanctify my bodily life—my eyes, my tongue, my hands, my habits—so that my whole self may be aligned with my seeking of thee. When my flesh longs for comfort and calls it peace, when it longs for indulgence and calls it freedom, correct me with thy truth and lead me into righteousness. Yet in thy mercy remember that I am dust; strengthen me where I am frail, heal me where I am broken, and steady me where I am unstable. Let my longing for thee be stronger than my longing for anything that competes with thee.

For I often feel as though I walk in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is. There are seasons when my prayers seem small, when hope feels delayed, when sorrows press near, and when the world around me offers little rest for my spirit. In those desert places, keep me from despair and from self-reliance. Remind me that the wilderness is not empty when thou art there. Make me attentive to thy footsteps, to thy provision, to thy quiet ways of sustaining me day by day. If thou dost lead me through dryness, let it cleanse my desires, strip away my idols, and teach me that thou art enough.

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee. Let this be the settled posture of my life: seeking thee first, trusting thee fully, and loving thee sincerely. Renew my devotion when it grows cold. Restore my joy when it fades. Guard me from hypocrisy and give me a single heart. Let my seeking not be a passing moment but a steady walk, not mere words but true surrender.

Grant me grace to pursue thee with reverence, to wait upon thee with patience, and to delight in thee with a pure heart. And when I cannot find the strength to lift my eyes, lift them for me. When I cannot form the words, hear the thirst itself. When I feel the dryness, be my water. For my soul thirsteth for thee, and my flesh longeth for thee, in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee. Amen.