I (Probably) Won't Read the Whole Bible This Year
An Honest Look at Bible Reading
In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.
It probably won’t surprise you to hear that I read the Bible a lot. There is nothing I like better than to bury my face in that Book. It is bread and life and living water to my soul.
Between Bible Reading and Bible Study, there is a storehouse of treasure being built up in my soul. I’m daily growing in my knowledge of God and his ways, and that helps me think rightly about the way the world works, about what truly matters, and about who I am in Christ.
But can I let you in on a little secret? I don’t think I have ever actually read through the entire Bible in a year. I have come close, but I have never done it.
I have read through the entire Bible, multiple times, over the course of the last ten years, but I’ve never finished a One-Year Bible Reading Plan in one year.
And I’m okay with that.
Read the Whole Bible in Order to Study One Book Well
Since I write Bible studies, I have to spend a lot of time STUDYING one book of the Bible at a time. It is tempting to dive right into the book I’m currently studying every morning when I open the Word. Out of habit my Bible just opens to Luke right now.
While it is tempting to stay in one book, it is essential for me to keep reading other books of the Bible, systematically working my way through the entire Bible again and again. I need the context of the entire story of Scripture to help me rightly understand the one book I’m currently studying.
I need a familiarity with the Old Testament stories to see their echos in the New Testament. Like how John baptizing Jesus looks a lot like Samuel anointing David, or how Jesus facing temptation in the wilderness hearkens back to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3.
That familiarity comes from reading and rereading and rereading the Bible, chapter by chapter, day by day, year by year. It builds up over time into a storehouse of riches.
(For more on the difference between BIBLE READING and BIBLE STUDY, read this post.)
Who Says I Have to Read the Whole Bible in a Year?
Like I said, I have to devote a lot of my time in the Word to STUDYING one book, so how do I fit in READING the rest of the Bible?
Most days I read one chapter of the Bible and pray about what I read, then I move on to studying the book of Luke. Sometimes I journal about what I read.
I use a Bible Reading Plan that is designed to cover the entire Bible in a year (reading the New Testament books and Psalms and Proverbs twice). It calls for reading four chapters a day.
But I just told you I typically read just one chapter a day if I’m in a season of study or writing. So how can I complete a 1-year Bible reading plan?
I can’t.
Reading the whole Bible in a year is a great goal. If Bible Reading was the way I planned to spend all or most of my time in the Word, if I didn’t have a Bible study to write, and speaking engagements to prepare for, and six kids to homeschool, I would love to make that my goal each year. But I have to be realistic.
Let me let you in on a little secret: I don't think I have ever actually read through the entire Bible in a year. I have come close, but I have never done it.
It doesn’t really matter how fast you read through the whole Bible. What matters is that you are working toward the goal of knowing the whole counsel of God. What matters is that you eventually read the whole Book. And then read it again, and again, and again…
A Bible Reading Plan is Just a Tool
Just because I won’t finish in a year doesn’t mean I have to give up completely. There are still many ways I can use the Reading Plan as a tool that works for me:
Tracking My Progress: I use my reading plan as a checklist, not a schedule. I can track my progress and make sure I’m not skipping hard books.
Knowing What to Read Today: Having a reading plan tells me where to open the Bible each morning. What’s next on the list? No decision fatigue. This one things saves me so much time and mental energy.
Reading Broadly: The reading plan keeps me reading in multiple parts of the Bible at the same time. So I can be working through an Old Testament history, one of the Gospels, one of the Prophets, and a New Testament letter, all in the same month. That may sound confusing or intimidating, but it actually keeps things fresh and interesting.
It doesn't really matter how fast you read through the whole Bible. What matters is that you are working toward the goal of knowing the whole counsel of God.
The Real Goal
Bible reading is not about checking off a box. It is about actually knowing the God of the Bible.
When I read, I am looking to meet God. I approach each chapter with the question, “God, who are you? What are you like?” My goal is to know God.
When God reveals himself to me through his Word, the result is inevitably worship. That’s why I pair reading with prayer. Take time to glory in what God reveals about himself. Just tell him what you learned about him after you read.
Whether your next thing is to dive into Bible study or jump right into your busy day, beginning with reading and prayer is a way to anchor your thoughts on the God of the Universe, to make Him the first and best thought of your day.
It Gets Easier
Can I let you in on one more secret? It gets easier. The more you feed on the Word, the easier it is to read and understand. Once you’ve read the Old Testament, the New Testament makes more sense. Once you’ve read the New Testament, the Old Testament makes more sense. Bible knowledge is like compound interest. The more you have, the more you gain.
For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance..
The important thing is to just keep moving forward, building up the principle, and trust that over time your capacity for taking in the Word will increase and increase.
So don’t fret if you are already behind on that reading plan you started for this year. Knowing God more each day is a far better goal than a gold medal for Bible reading. This thing is more like NASCAR than a Marathon. When you finish a lap you’ll find yourself starting over again. We will keep reading and reading and reading the Bible for a lifetime, and it will get richer at every pass. And after that we will go on to spend eternity plumbing the depths of the wisdom of God.
May God bless every second you invest in his Word this year. May it bear fruit in your life, for your joy, and for his Kingdom.
How to Actually Read the Bible in a Year
Have you set a goal to read through the Bible in the new year? Here are seven tips to help you actually do it. My number one suggested reading plan is included!
The Best Bible Reading Plan: A Review
Looking to read the Bible in a Year? Check out the “Five Day Bible Reading Plan.” For the first time in many years, I actually finished reading the whole Bible in one year. This reading plan made all the difference. Here are all the reasons I simply love this plan and give it my whole-hearted endorsement.
Bible Reading vs. Bible Study
Devotional Bible Reading is not the same thing as Bible Study. Both are important, but it is helpful to know the difference.
Thank you for this! It helps to remove so much of the pressure and guilt that I tend to put upon myself to read the entire Bible in a year. When I get behind, somehow it feels that I am “behind” in my faith. Thanks for sharing this new perspective.
I love how you said Bible knowledge is like compound interest – so true! It reminds me of when I did a Bible study on Ruth back when I was first starting to really study and know the Bible. I was amazed at how that one book connected the Old and New Testament together. I never knew that connection before and I had even read through the Bible in one year a few years before that! I read through the Bible again in a year a year or two after that study, but that pressure is real and I felt like I didn’t get as much out of it as I could have if I just went at my own pace.
I am eager to start a reading plan. Your words are inspiring and encouraging.