What Does it Mean to Seek God First?
In our fast-paced world, we're constantly reaching for something - success, answers, solutions, or comfort. But what are we reaching for first? This fundamental question shapes how we navigate life's challenges and opportunities.
The Problem with Our Priorities
Most of us believe in prayer and acknowledge God's importance in our lives. We reach for God when things break, when stress rises, or when we run out of options. The problem isn't that we don't believe in prayer - it's that we struggle to prioritize it.
Prayer often becomes our last response rather than our first instinct. We're comfortable with God being important, but we struggle with making Him primary in our lives.
What Does "Seek First" Really Mean?
Jesus gives us clear instruction in Matthew 6:33: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Notice what Jesus doesn't say - He doesn't tell us to seek God eventually, when we have time, or when we can't figure things out.
The order matters. Jesus says "seek first" - not seek God after we've tried everything else.
Why the Order Matters
Many of us want the "all these things" part of that verse first. We want peace, direction, provision, and clarity without the seeking part. We want outcomes solved first, then we'll consider seeking God.
Jesus flips this script entirely. He says focus on the kingdom first and trust God with the rest. This requires us to reorder our approach to life's challenges and decisions.
What Does Seeking God Look Like Practically?
Seeking God isn't passive, occasional, or convenient. It's an intentional, focused pursuit that requires movement, effort, and persistence.
The Ask, Seek, Knock Progression
In Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus outlines a progression: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you." This isn't about kicking down doors with intensity - it's about persistent, patient pursuit while trusting God to open the doors.
Creating Space to Listen
Seeking God means creating space to hear from Him and listen to Him. It means ordering our lives around His presence and making room for God to speak before we act. This requires slowing down enough to sit with God in His presence.
Why Is Seeking God First So Difficult?
Our culture tells us to hurry, but seeking God requires us to slow down. We want certainty, but seeking God requires trust. We want answers, but seeking God requires listening.
Whatever we seek quietly becomes what we trust most. Our prayer life can be inspired in public, but it must be formed in private - just you and God.
How Prayer Reorders Our Lives
Prayer isn't about informing God of our plans and asking Him to bless them. We often get this backwards - we come up with great plans and then hand them to God asking for His blessing.
Prayer realigns us. When we pray, we're saying "God, you lead, you decide, and you reign." Prayer shifts us from control to surrender, from anxiety to trust, from self-reliance to dependence.
The Role of Fasting
Fasting goes beyond just not eating - it's about reestablishing God as king of our lives. When we fast, we temporarily remove something that normally sustains us to remind ourselves that God is our true source.
Fasting exposes what we rely on and positions us to hear from God. It doesn't force God to move, but it prepares our hearts to receive from Him.
Changing Our Questions
Seeking God changes the questions we ask. Instead of "What should I do next?" we ask "What are you doing, God?" Instead of "How do I fix this problem?" we ask "How do you want to lead me?"
This aligns us with God's kingdom, not just solutions to our problems.
Personal and Corporate Application
Personal Application
Personally, seeking God first might look like:
- Setting aside intentional daily time for prayer
- Choosing silence over constant noise
- Opening Scripture before opening your phone
- Fasting from meals or other things to refocus your heart
Corporate Application
As a church community, this means:
- Praying before we plan
- Listening before we decide
- Seeking alignment before gaining momentum
- Waiting for God to reveal His plans rather than asking Him to bless ours
Life Application
This week, challenge yourself to truly seek God first in your daily decisions and long-term planning. Before reaching for your phone, your usual coping mechanisms, or your own solutions, reach for God first.
Consider implementing a daily practice of spending intentional time with God before the day begins. This might mean waking up 15 minutes earlier, finding a quiet space, and simply being present with Him through prayer and Scripture reading.
Ask yourself these questions:
- What am I reaching for first when challenges arise?
- How can I create more space in my life to hear from God?
- What would change in my life if I truly sought God's kingdom first in every decision?
- Am I asking God to bless my plans, or am I waiting for Him to reveal His plans?
Remember, seeking God first doesn't make life simpler, but it does make life clearer. When we align ourselves with His kingdom and His will, everything else finds its proper place.
The Problem with Our Priorities
Most of us believe in prayer and acknowledge God's importance in our lives. We reach for God when things break, when stress rises, or when we run out of options. The problem isn't that we don't believe in prayer - it's that we struggle to prioritize it.
Prayer often becomes our last response rather than our first instinct. We're comfortable with God being important, but we struggle with making Him primary in our lives.
What Does "Seek First" Really Mean?
Jesus gives us clear instruction in Matthew 6:33: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Notice what Jesus doesn't say - He doesn't tell us to seek God eventually, when we have time, or when we can't figure things out.
The order matters. Jesus says "seek first" - not seek God after we've tried everything else.
Why the Order Matters
Many of us want the "all these things" part of that verse first. We want peace, direction, provision, and clarity without the seeking part. We want outcomes solved first, then we'll consider seeking God.
Jesus flips this script entirely. He says focus on the kingdom first and trust God with the rest. This requires us to reorder our approach to life's challenges and decisions.
What Does Seeking God Look Like Practically?
Seeking God isn't passive, occasional, or convenient. It's an intentional, focused pursuit that requires movement, effort, and persistence.
The Ask, Seek, Knock Progression
In Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus outlines a progression: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you." This isn't about kicking down doors with intensity - it's about persistent, patient pursuit while trusting God to open the doors.
Creating Space to Listen
Seeking God means creating space to hear from Him and listen to Him. It means ordering our lives around His presence and making room for God to speak before we act. This requires slowing down enough to sit with God in His presence.
Why Is Seeking God First So Difficult?
Our culture tells us to hurry, but seeking God requires us to slow down. We want certainty, but seeking God requires trust. We want answers, but seeking God requires listening.
Whatever we seek quietly becomes what we trust most. Our prayer life can be inspired in public, but it must be formed in private - just you and God.
How Prayer Reorders Our Lives
Prayer isn't about informing God of our plans and asking Him to bless them. We often get this backwards - we come up with great plans and then hand them to God asking for His blessing.
Prayer realigns us. When we pray, we're saying "God, you lead, you decide, and you reign." Prayer shifts us from control to surrender, from anxiety to trust, from self-reliance to dependence.
The Role of Fasting
Fasting goes beyond just not eating - it's about reestablishing God as king of our lives. When we fast, we temporarily remove something that normally sustains us to remind ourselves that God is our true source.
Fasting exposes what we rely on and positions us to hear from God. It doesn't force God to move, but it prepares our hearts to receive from Him.
Changing Our Questions
Seeking God changes the questions we ask. Instead of "What should I do next?" we ask "What are you doing, God?" Instead of "How do I fix this problem?" we ask "How do you want to lead me?"
This aligns us with God's kingdom, not just solutions to our problems.
Personal and Corporate Application
Personal Application
Personally, seeking God first might look like:
- Setting aside intentional daily time for prayer
- Choosing silence over constant noise
- Opening Scripture before opening your phone
- Fasting from meals or other things to refocus your heart
Corporate Application
As a church community, this means:
- Praying before we plan
- Listening before we decide
- Seeking alignment before gaining momentum
- Waiting for God to reveal His plans rather than asking Him to bless ours
Life Application
This week, challenge yourself to truly seek God first in your daily decisions and long-term planning. Before reaching for your phone, your usual coping mechanisms, or your own solutions, reach for God first.
Consider implementing a daily practice of spending intentional time with God before the day begins. This might mean waking up 15 minutes earlier, finding a quiet space, and simply being present with Him through prayer and Scripture reading.
Ask yourself these questions:
- What am I reaching for first when challenges arise?
- How can I create more space in my life to hear from God?
- What would change in my life if I truly sought God's kingdom first in every decision?
- Am I asking God to bless my plans, or am I waiting for Him to reveal His plans?
Remember, seeking God first doesn't make life simpler, but it does make life clearer. When we align ourselves with His kingdom and His will, everything else finds its proper place.
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