Seeking God's Face: Praying with the Bible Through the Year

From the very beginning of the church, Christians have found it helpful to pause for prayer during various times of the day. Whether for morning or evening devotions or other fixed-time prayers, such spiritual respites were deemed essential to worshiping God. Over the years, Christians developed a structure for such moments of worship, keyed to the time of day and season of the year. Part of its genius was the seamless integration of Scripture and prayer. This ancient practice, called the "Daily Office," has experienced a resurgence of use in our time.

Seeking God's Face is a user-friendly approach to this form of prayer and devotion. Each office includes a psalm of praise, a passage of Scripture, and a brief set of prayers. An introduction to prayer-book use from Eugene Peterson is included to acclimate readers to this form.

"Seeking God's Face melds prayer and Scripture into a companionable guide for becoming a participant--both listening and speaking--in the great salvation conversation that is the Christian gospel."--from the foreword by Eugene Peterson

"Inspired in every sense of that word and masterfully compiled, Seeking God's Face is a prayer book always and everywhere to be treasured. From our very beginnings, we have understood that fixed daily prayer is just as necessary to the fully realized Christian life as water and food are to the body's sustenance. The problem for many Christians up to now--and especially for those from Reformed branches of the faith--has been the lack of prayer tools and prayer books that accord with their communal traditions. Now, in this one volume, Philip Reinders gives the church not only a solution to that problem but also a God-drenched prayer tool suitable for all of us."--Phyllis Tickle, compiler, The Words of Jesus--A Gospel of the Sayings of Our Lord

"Left on our own, our prayers may tend to traffic in the local and the parochial as we bring before God intramural concerns related to our own work, our own church, our own families. Seeking God's Face helps us pray for those concerns but also brings our hearts out into the wide open spaces of God's Word, God's church, and God's world. Letting this book shape our prayer life will enlarge our spirits as we allow our prayers to be informed by the riches of Scripture even as we learn to make petition for the entire world for which Jesus died."--Scott Hoezee, director, Center for Excellence in Preaching, Calvin College

"Life is hard for most of us; at least it is hard to live purely, Christianly. We can only do so by getting a great deal of help from Christ. We need, therefore, daily to seek His face. Phil's book will help you get better acquainted."--Carson Pue, president, Arrow Leadership

"Pursuing spiritual formation is a life-long challenge for every Christian. In Seeking God's Face, Phil Reinders offers a really helpful guide for engaging in the daily practice of personal devotion. This wonderful resource provides an easy to follow process for having a substantive conversation with God each day. I strongly recommend its use to every Christian who desires a deeper relationship with God."--Craig Van Gelder, professor of congregational mission, Luther Seminary

"I have observed the daily office for many years and am always looking for new resources. Seeking God's Face is a great addition to my reading list. Its short, encouraging daily prayers are soothing and uplifting. Just what I need to get my day started."--Christine Sine, executive director, Mustard Seed Associates

"Philip Reinders has rendered us all a profound service by preparing this superb guide for prayer. For all of us who know we are weak in prayer, this volume will train us in habitual practices that lead to delightfully fruitful conversations with God."--Marva J. Dawn, author of Keeping the Sabbath Wholly and Being Well When We're Ill

Phil Reinders is senior pastor at River Park Church in Alberta.