Do you sometimes struggle to read the Bible, to pray from the Bible, or just simply to remember anything you read this morning by tonight?
Reading through the Bible is not formally recognised as a Bible study form, but it is as important. Not everyone will necessarily read through the Bible at the same pace. And we should not feel guilty about that. Reading the Bible, however, should really form a part of our time spent with God in prayer. It is very valuable to read your Bible from cover to cover at least once a year. You can also decide to listen through your Bible if that is easier for you.
What does it take?
There are 39 books and 927 chapters in the Old Testament, and 27 books and 260 chapters in the New Testament. This means, if one were to read a chapter a day it would take 1,187 days to read through the Bible, which is just about three years. That does not sound too difficult, does it? It would take an estimated 65 hours (2 days 16 hours 15 minutes) to read non-stop through the Bible. Imagine doing that as a project in the prayer room of your church at least 4 times a year? Proclaiming the Word of God out loud over your church and community!
How to read through your Bible
There are many different Bible reading plans to choose from. Each plan takes a different approach, allowing you to read through the Scriptures in the way that suits you best. The ‘comprehensive plan’ covers the entire Bible from cover to cover; the ‘biographical plan’ introduces you to each of the key persons of the Bible, including God Himself; and the ‘survey plan’ hits the most important stories in Scripture quickly to give you a well-rounded understanding of the Bible. Then there are Bible reading plans where you can just read through the Old or the New Testament in 30/60/90 etc. days. For the more adventurous it is possible to read the whole Bible in 30/60/90/365 etc. days!
10 Different plans
The purpose of providing 10 different reading plans below is just to encourage the believer to grow in the daily discipline of reading his/her Bible.
PLAN 1: 31-DAY BIBLE READING PLAN FOR THOSE NEW TO THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
This Bible reading plan is ideal to propose to a new Believer, or just for yourself, touching up your memory on the basics of Christianity. It provides a general overview of God’s encounter with humanity, our responses to Him and how He gives us Hope, Salvation and an Eternal Future.
View the 31-Day Bible reading plan for those new to the Christian faith
PLAN 2: 61-DAY SURVEY BIBLE READING PLAN
Want to read highlights from every book of the Bible? It doesn’t take long! This Bible reading plan provides highlights from every book of the Bible, giving a short overview of the content of that specific book. It is especially helpful to a new Believer to better understand the Christian faith. You can also use it to touch up your own memory on every book of the Bible.
View the 61-Day Survey Bible reading plan
PLAN 3: 121-DAY BIOGRAPHICAL BIBLE READING PLAN
Do you want to learn more about some of the key characters in the Bible? This reading plan will help you become acquainted with them.
View the 121-Day Biographical Bible reading plan
PLAN 4: 365-DAY COMPREHENSIVE BIBLE READING PLAN
Are you ready for the incredible privilege and adventure of reading through the Bible from cover to cover in 365 days? It only takes about fifteen to twenty minutes a day depending on how fast you read. See God’s story of redemption from Genesis to Revelation.
View the 365-Day Comprehensive Bible reading plan
PLAN 5: 61-DAY CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING PLAN
Would you like to read through the key stories of the Bible in chronological order, tracing the development of God’s plan from Adam and Eve to the church of the New Testament? This reading plan introduces you to the major people and events of the Bible in chronological order, beginning with Creation, moving through the birth and history of the nation of Israel, and ending with Revelation’s prophetic words. It’s all broken down into 61 ‘easy to read’ segments.
View the 61-Day Chronological Bible reading plan
PLAN 6: 90 DAYS TO READ THE WHOLE BIBLE
It can be quite challenging to read the Bible book by book from Genesis to Revelation. Another way to read through the Bible is to include a passage from both the Old and the New Testament every day. This helps a lot! This reading plan combines three portions of Scripture per day – from the Old Testament, from Job-Malachi, and one reading from the New Testament.
View 90 Days to read the whole Bible
PLAN 7: 180-DAY ‘GUIDED TOUR OF THE BIBLE’ READING PLAN
This Bible reading plan guides you through some of the main stories of the Bible in 180 days. The goal of following this reading plan is to read the underlying story of the Bible. This ‘Guided Tour’ is exactly that – a guide-assisted tour – of the Bible’s high points. Such a plan is no substitute for mastering the whole Bible, of course, but it may help lower barriers and point the way down a path for further study.
Think of it as an introductory tour through a great art museum. You won’t get to see every painting in the museum, but you will learn the basic layout, and may also acquire a taste for art that will entice you to return again and again.
View the 180-Day ‘Guided tour of the Bible’ reading plan
PLAN 8: 30 BIBLE STORIES: THEME-FOCUSED BIBLE READING PLAN
This reading plan does not cover the whole Bible, but can be useful in teaching children or new believers to purposefully pray through the Bible.
View 30 Bible Stories for children: Theme-focused Bible reading plan
PLAN 9: 30 DAYS WITH JESUS BIBLE READING PLAN
This Bible reading plan is an excellent way of encouraging children or new believers to read the Bible, focusing on 30 stories concerning the life of Jesus Himself. It can be read over a period of 30 days or simply chronologically.
View the 30 Days with Jesus Bible reading plan
PLAN 10: 30 DAYS IN THE BOOK OF PSALMS BIBLE READING PLAN
This Bible reading plan will be a great encouragement to someone going through a difficult time. It focuses on the Book of Psalms. It can be read over a period of 30 days, or simply chronologically.
View the 30 Days in the Book of Psalms Bible reading plan
Choose one and start today!
Different Bible reading approaches work for different people. The essence, however, is to ‘feast’ on the Word of God on a regular basis, as it is food for our spirit man. It helps us hear God’s voice, it softens our hearts, convicts us of sin and stirs up a desire within to worship this amazing Living God. So, choose the reading plan that will work for you and just start – today!
