God, where are you' This has been the cry of humankind since creation. Of course, it is the divine within us who really poses the question, and when we truly begin to search for an answer, we will discover that God is already looking for us! In this brilliantly illuminating volume, Enzo Bianchi reasons that, above all, the story of God is the story of his relationship with his people. In order to help us get to know this God of our fathers, he analyses a number of encounters between the Lord and significant figures in the Old Testament. The author suggests we can be challenged to question our own certainties like Abraham, suffer torment like Jacob, or falter and become discouraged in the face of a daunting task like Moses. The search for God involves exploring what is profoundly human, and the greatest manifestation of humanity is to be found in the figure of Christ. That is why we cannot think of God today without turning our minds to Jesus.

Scripture brings the Word of God to us when we read and welcome it in faith as the Word which comes from God and leads to God. Scripture is the means by which we live in God. The ancient monastic (and patristic) way of reading Scripture involves reflection (meditation) and prayer. It is listening to the Word, allowing the Word to become active in our lives. It is, in the words of Saint Jerome, 'opening our sails to the Holy Spirit without knowing on what shores we will land.'