5 Verses to Pray When You Want to Seek God First
SEEK was my word for 2018, and I chose Luke 12:31 as my verse…
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need.
At the end of the year, I knew there was no moving on. Seek went from being my word for the year to being my word for life!
I think the reason it’s so important to me is because giving God first place in my life was something I struggled with for much of my life. I believed and trusted in Jesus for my salvation but I also struggled to surrender myself completely.
Satan had planted a seed of doubt … one that told me much was asked of those who surrendered completely. So, I held back just a little because I doubted God’s ability to strengthen me through my “what if” fears.
But I was wrong!
Life is hard whether we’re surrendered or not. Bad things happen to the faith-filled and to those without faith. But by God’s grace, I’ve learned that God is greater than my circumstances, even when they are painful and unwanted!
The Lord provided everything I needed through a season of overwhelming events and proved He is able to give me everything I need whatever my situation. I can now say…
I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
Romans 8:38
He gave me what I needed when I needed it! Never early. Never late. But right on time.
Now I cling to verses like…
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
Psalm 46:1 and 2 Corinthians 12:9
And…
“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”
I want to get up each morning and seek God first. I want to live surrendered and free in Jesus!
But it takes prayer. So, today I’m praying 5 verses asking for the Spirit’s help to…
Seek God First
Search for the Lord and for His strength; continually seek Him.
1 Chronicles 16:11
Father, Seeking is not a “sit back, wait and see” way of life. It’s spending time in Your Word, coming to You in prayer, and worshipping You in spirit and truth. Seeking is realizing I’m lost without You. It’s recognizing my need for Your mercy and grace. And it’s living a life of gratitude for Your gift of love … Jesus, the One who “came to seek and to save those who are lost” like me. Please help me continually seek You today!
Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:6
Father, I want to trust and obey Your will faithfully but I fall short. Please forgive me and help me. Your Word says repentance is more than just saying I’m sorry; it is intentionally wanting to change. It’s trusting Your Word as truth and obeying Your will. It’s being willing to accept Your help in stepping off the path I’m on to take the path You want for me. Please help me apply these truths to my life.
The Lord is good to those who depend on Him, to those who search for Him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.
Lamentations 3:25–26
Father, I hear You whisper, “be still and know … cease striving” but it’s hard Lord. My life feels like it’s spinning. Do this. Be there. Check this box. Finish that project. Run this errand. Help. Serve. Accomplish. I’m exhausted! I need You! I am stopping right now … stopping to surrender and breathe in Your goodness.
By Your grace, help me remember, I don’t have to do this alone. Your Spirit is with me to counsel and guide. Make me constantly aware of Your sweet presence as I depend on Your truth to guide me and give me strength.
Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Matthew 6:21
Father, I know when I have You, I have everything I need. But the world shouts at me. My schedule harasses me. Some days … life simply wears me out.
With the help of Your Spirit, turn my focus from the chaos and desires of the world to the treasure I have in You. Fill me with Your peace. Help me replace the noise of life with the simple sounds of worship and praise. Give me a passion for Your Word and prayer. Be my treasure and my heart’s desire. Satisfy me with Your love.
Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done. Search for the Lord and for His strength; continually seek Him. Remember the wonders He has performed, His miracles, and the rulings He has given,
Psalm 105:1,4–5
Father, Thank you! When I remember all You have done in the past, I’m overwhelmed by Your grace and mercy. You have sustained and strengthened, healed and helped, provided and protected. I am overwhelmed. Thank you!
I surrender this day to You. I will follow where You lead and obey Your will as You reveal it to me. I will seek You with all I am and love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Please fill me with Your Spirit that I might willingly and faithfully keep this promise … by Your grace and for Your glory.
Seek God First
Jesus promised…
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.
Luke 12:31
Everything! And the next verse…
So don’t be afraid … it gives your Father great happiness to give You the kingdom.
Luke 12:32
Great happiness! Wow! What a blessing it is to know our prayers to “seek God first,” are prayers our Father loves to answer!
Hi Deb,
My Bible reads ” Let go, relax, know that I am God!”
I love that 😀
Bless you,
Jennifer
Thank you
Stay blessed
Thank you, Deb, for reminding me this morning that I need not always listen to the loudest voice in the room. It’s crucial to tune into God’s voice through His Word.
“Bad things happen to the faith-filled and to those without faith.” Isn’t if strange how we fear surrendering will cause us to lose control and suffer. I wonder where those thoughts come from? Hmm. 🙂 Great post, Deb.
Inspirational as always, Deb, and I loved praying these prayers along with you.
Blessings, my friend!
Hi Deb,
May God bless you for your awesome blogs. They’re excellent. I can’t get enough. I also save them from Pinterest. I find myself in the Word more and more, and without His direction I’m absolutely helpless. I realize I need Him that much. God bless your ministry. Verena
Praying these now. laurensparks.net
My soul has been so lifted and energized by your prayer Deb about putting God first. I feel more at peace now
God bless you Deb
You described how I feel right now as I try to merge my dreams of writing full time with the reality of having to remain in my day job until I have a sustainable writing income.
“My life feels like it’s spinning. Do this. Be there. Check this box. Finish that project. Run this errand. Help. Serve. Accomplish. I’m exhausted! I need You! I am stopping right now … stopping to surrender and breathe in Your goodness.”
Deb, thank you for this post. I’m going to intentionally focus on surrendering and breathing today.
Peace and grace,
Tammy
“
These are such beautiful prayers and reminders that God is everything I need. I simply need to lose myself in Him all day…more and more.
Thank you for such a tremendous prayer and reminder that God is our only need and hope. My grandson who is the youngest of our grandsons keeps reminding me to read AUNTY DEB when I am looking for something and get frustrated that i cant find it. Grandad read Aunty Deb maybe she has got it. It may be a laugh to some, but those advise is like words from the Bible CAST YOUR BURDENS UNTO JESUS. Thank you and God bless you
Thank you, John! I am so blessed by your visit and your kind encouragement. I’d love to meet your grandson! He sounds delightful! I’m asking God to be with and bless you and your family!