The Principle ofSeeking Ye First the Lord
Holding fast daily to God's ways and God's principles.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”MATTHEW 6:33
Principle One
Prayer
All those of old time made God number one by daily prayer. Morning prayer and evening prayer is your time with the Lord — kept, guarded and never surrendered to the hurry of the day.
Evening Prayer — Indoors, by candlelight
“Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense: and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” Psalm 141:2
The lamp is lit, the door is shut, the house is quiet. The day is given back to God before sleep — sins confessed, mercies counted, the household covered.
Morning Prayer — Outdoors, at first light
“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 5:3
Before the tools are lifted or the stock are fed, the day is asked of God. The first hour decides the other sixteen.
The Road Map
They sought Him first — daily
From Abraham's early morning to the steadfast prayers of the first church, one unbroken line runs through the Scriptures: God was made number one at a set hour, every day.
- 1
Abraham
Genesis 19:27
“And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD.”
The friend of God kept a place and an hour. Morning found him already standing before the Lord.
- 2
Jacob
Genesis 28:18‑22
“And Jacob rose up early in the morning… and this stone shall be God's house.”
He turned the place of his night of wrestling into an altar of daily vow.
- 3
Moses
Exodus 34:2
“Be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai.”
The pattern of the meeting was set by God Himself — morning, and again at the evening sacrifice.
- 4
Hannah
1 Samuel 1:15
“I have poured out my soul before the LORD.”
A woman's hidden prayer, unheard by men, changed a nation's history.
- 5
David
Psalm 55:17
“Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”
The king kept the hours of prayer in the field, in the cave and on the throne alike.
- 6
Solomon
1 Kings 3:5‑9
“Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart.”
He sought the Lord first, and all other things were added to him.
- 7
Elijah
1 Kings 18:36
“At the time of the evening sacrifice… Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God…”
The fire fell at the hour of prayer, not at the hour of man's convenience.
- 8
Daniel
Daniel 6:10
“He kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”
A decree of death could not move a habit already settled by years of faithfulness.
- 9
Anna
Luke 2:37
“But served God with fastings and prayers night and day.”
Eighty-four years of unseen worship — and she was the one who recognised the Christ.
- 10
The Lord Jesus
Mark 1:35
“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out… and there prayed.”
Our pattern. If the Son of God kept the morning hour, no disciple is above it.
- 11
The Apostles
Acts 3:1
“Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer.”
The early church did not invent a new way; they held fast to the old hours of seeking God.
- 12
The Church
Acts 2:42
“And they continued steadfastly… in prayers.”
Steadfastly — the road map ends where it began: daily, together, unto God.
Hold fast the pattern
Prayer is the first principle because it is the first surrender. Keep the morning and the evening hour, and the rest of the principles of God will have ground to grow in.
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