Jim Cotter has a rare gift with words that enables him to write prayers that engage the heart and imagination as well as the mind. Here the ancient and beautiful language of night prayer is infused with fresh and striking imagery about God. Simple prayers, Psalm paraphrases and short readings for reflection open us to the mystery of God – a mystery to which we are more open at night, or when we are facing our own dark places. At night we face many things that are kept at bay by the day’s distractions.

Praying the Dark Hours is a combination of two bestselling titles: Prayer at Night and Waymarks. This new edition offers structured prayer for each night of the week, based on the traditional pattern of Compline, woven together with scriptures and a short reflective reading for each day of the year and further selections for the Christian seasons.