Seeking God's Face is a daily, contemplative devotional — rooted in the ancient traditions of the Divine Office and "lectio divina" — guiding you to renewed communion with God through sacred Scripture and universal prayer.

February 18, 2024

— Lent • First Sunday in Lent

Invitation Psalm 34:18

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

Quiet

Bible Song Psalm 30:1-5

I will exalt you, Lord,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

Lord my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me.

You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
you spared me from going down to the pit.

Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name.

For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;

weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Bible Reading Genesis 3:1-7

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"

"You will not certainly die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Quiet

Dwelling

Read again slowly ... find a word or phrase that catches your eye or moves your heart ... slowly repeat it ... pray your thoughts, desires, needs, and feelings from your meditation ... enjoy the presence of your Lord and Savior.

Free Prayer

  • for fellowship with the crucified and risen Jesus
  • for spiritual renewal and refreshment

The Lord's Prayer

Prayer BC 15

God of grace, I can't go very long without sin showing up somewhere again in my life. It's tiring to think that I carry this sin around with me, in me. It's a family curse that I've inherited, like a genetic deficiency that plagues my life and infects my living. Lord, be my help and my health. Amen.

Blessing Romans 5:8

"God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."