From the noun shachar (dawn), this verb means to seek something earnestly — with the urgency of someone rising before dawn to pursue it. The dawn-imagery conveys prioritizing God above all else, meeting him at the very start of the day before anything else competes for attention.
Psalm 63:1 is the classic text: 'O God, thou art my God; early (shachar) will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee.' The Psalmist's longing for God is as intense as physical thirst in an arid desert. Proverbs picks up the motif: those who seek Wisdom 'early' (shachar) will find her (Prov 8:17). This is not merely about morning quiet time but about radical prioritization — God is the first hunger, the first thirst, the first seek.