The Bible in a Year? Maybe Two? Lots of Psalms?

A few times I've posted about reading the Bible through in a year, or thereabouts. I seem to do this around about new year, because that's when most people are launching out to try and do something like this. Old posts from New Year 2008, and New Year 2021.

Looking back over the years, I've constantly adjusted how I read the Bible. The important thing is to read, apply, pray in and live the Bible. Exactly how you do that matters far less. The biggest mistake with how to read the Bible is not to read it. But I've adjusted the how, for what it's worth. Partly, I've grown up. Maybe I need different versions of this habit now than I used to. Partly, I've learnt what works for me, and by trying something I've discovered how to adjust to make it serve me better. Partly, habits grow stale, and sometimes it's good to mix things up to keep your Bible reading fresh. Add in the fact that you're not me, so maybe what works for me, in this season, isn't what you need. But, to repeat, the biggest mistake is not to read the Bible, so if what happens to work for me might get you doing that, then dive in.

Here's what I'm doing now compared to before.

• I'm still trying to read through the New Testament every year, and the Old Testament every two years. The Old Testament is much longer, and I find this gives me the right amount of it to read each day. If I try and read it over one year, I have really long passages. I'm prone to skip a day because I think it will take too long, or to gloss over how to apply, live and pray about what I'm reading. But the New Testament is very doable in a year, and there's something attractive and healthy about knowing I'll have read every part of it no longer than one year ago.
• I'm no longer trying to read some Old Testament and some New Testament every day. That was giving me 4 passages to read each day (OT, NT, Psalms, Proverbs), and that was too many. I also find that, instead of reading a passage from the OT and a passage from the NT, if I read a longer one from just one Testament then I follow the flow of the argument better. It also means I move faster through portions that are harder work. Reading through 1 Chronicles 1-9 in 4 days rather than 8 or 9 means I get less bogged down and can apply the big picture. Reading one longer portion from one Testament also means I can immerse myself in the thinking of whatever book of the Bible I'm in, and so inhabit its world and apply it better.
• I'm still reading some Psalms each day. But instead of reading them over about 9 months I'm reading through them much faster. I've grown to love the Psalms deeply. Read some of why in a previous post introducing the Psalms. What's more, as I read through them more frequently, I start to meet the same Psalms again and again. That means I get to recognise and know them. And I find I appreciate them even more as a result. I'm finding myself wondering why I did not immerse myself in them from a much younger age. It's never too late to start. With good reason did Thomas Cranmer prescribe that the Psalms are read through every month across morning and evening prayer. So I now aim to read them 4-5 times each year.
• I'm still trying to read the Proverbs each year. But rather than dividing them evenly, I move faster through the chapters that are prosaic or offer longer-form poetry, then slow down for the verses that are single proverbs. That's to cut along the grain and again helps application and life.

So those are my adjustments.

I therefore present a scheme for two years. You'll read the Old Testament once, the New Testament twice (once each year), the Psalms 10 times (5 times a year), and Proverbs annually.

There is a downloadable leaflet you can print and tuck into your Bible if that helps you, or follow the table below. I may at some point set this website to display the current day's readings in the sidebar, but that will have to wait for another day.

“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”

Tolle lege!