As I begin my annual review of 2022, I am pretty stoked about having accomplished one particular goal… I read the Bible in its entirety in one year. This is personally a big deal because when I became a Christian in 2017, the notion of reading the Bible was intimidating. I didn’t even know how to look up a verse or where specific books were. I remember leading a women’s bible study where we were all new Christians and making a point to be ok with fumbling through the pages as we looked for verses from our study. Five years later, two of those women now work at the church that brought us together and closer to the Lord.
It took me five years to dare to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation!
Here are 5 things I learned.
Lesson 1- The Bible is not in chronological order
The books are not in chronological order. This may be a drawback for those who are very linear in their thinking, but I promise it’s not a dealbreaker. For those who would much rather satisfy this detail, chronological bibles exist. I purchased one but haven’t explored it much yet. There are Bible reading plans that are chronological. The Bible reading plan I read for 2022 (www.oneyearbibleonline.com) included a bit of the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs each day, using the order they appear in the Bible. I thoroughly enjoyed this plan and would highly recommend it to anyone. The link above will take you to the page where a monthly plan, like the one in the 2022 picture, can be created and printed.
Lesson 2- The Bible is not meant to be read once
The Bible is not a one-and-done read. Unlike any other book written (or rather a collection of books), God’s Word is meant to be imbibed continuously, preferably every day. I knew this intellectually, I heard it, and pastors preach this, but now I have a fresh understanding of why. Being spiritually alive requires feeding your mind and spirit with truth. Food is to the body what God’s Word is to the spirit. Your spirit must sup on truth if it is to thrive and grow. The Bible is often described as being “alive” and there are two top reasons I see this as an apt description. 1) God speaks to us through the Bible, providing guidance and answering questions on our hearts; 2) reading the Bible will reveal just what we need at that moment in time. The same scripture can be read years later, and the Holy Spirit reveals a deeper meaning and understanding of it as we mature in our walk with the Lord. Mature Christians get to maturity because they have cultivated the habit of reading their Bible daily.
Lesson 3- Prayer and reading the Bible go together
My prayer life, in other words, how I prayed, what I prayed, and why I prayed, all grew significantly because I was reading the Bible daily. Sometimes answers to something in my heart, something I prayed for, are found in the reading. This has happened on several occasions, and I was grateful for the answers to my prayers. Praying scripture is a beautiful way to honor His Word and explore its meaning. Sometimes, I didn’t know what to pray, and I would start with scripture. Of course, there are some very familiar prayers that people have heard and are portrayed in media…. Psalm 23:1-6 and Matthew 6:9-13 come to mind. But there are other gems like Paul’s prayer for spiritual wisdom in Ephesians 1:16-19 or Ephesians 3:16-21. These prayers are stunning and fill my heart and mind with the glory of God and his Son, Jesus. The Bible reading plan I just finished actually has you go through all the Psalms and Proverbs twice in one year. I must say, I have new eyes for the Psalms that I once thought were boring. There is real power in praying scripture.
Lesson 4- We forget, often
If one theme resurfaced over and over again, it was the human tendency to forget God and His promises. I read it throughout each book in the Bible. I see it today all around me, the removal of even mentioning God in the public sphere, workplace, school, and government. The history of this country was founded with God, not just being mentioned but being thanked, beseeched, and revered. Where once American culture reflected Christian values as foundational aspects of belief as a community, now it is seen as insipid, intellectually unsophisticated, and even hateful. We forget God had enough and washed the world clean, saving only Noah and his family. We forget the rainbow is biblical and represents God’s promise not to do that same unilateral washing with water again. We forget an enemy is seeking to destroy us. We forget that this physical life is not all there is.
We forget often.
Reading the Bible daily reminds us of the One who created heaven and earth, who is faithful in all his promises and whose will will be done whether we believe in him or not.
Lesson 5- Reading the Bible is reading the truth
Reading the Bible is reading truth which is God’s perspective on things. Learning God’s perspective on things helps to create a mental colander that we desperately need living in a world heaving with lies and depravities. The world bombards us with images and ideas that seed doubt of the truth and discouragement of believing the truth. The more the world can keep you busy and immersed in nonsense, the more easily it is to forget what God said and what God’s perspective on things is. Reading the truth daily helps keep that fresh in the forefront of our minds and more easily discern the garbage that the world is trying to feed everyone.
As I write this, we are already in mid-January of the new year. I was undecided on which plan to adopt for 2023 and was already feeling the ill effects of not starting my day with God’s Word.. So I looked up some plans and decided to do a chronological plan from BibleStudyTools.com! I am beginning this bible study plan late, but I have learned to let go of perfection while pursuing progress. I don’t care anymore that I am “late” and would rather start, enjoy, learn, and grow as I read the Bible than worry about catching up. I have learned to depend on being anchored by God every day in this way.
How about you? Have you ever done a Bible reading plan? How did it go? If you haven’t, what stops you? I can promise you to have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
Happy New Year!