It’s Time!
As a new year approaches, I find my thoughts turning to Bible reading plans. I have read through the Bible every year for the past 30 years. I was blessed over that time to consistently find myself drawn to Scripture and to churches that emphasized the need for daily Bible reading. But I have to admit the pace sometimes turned Scripture into something I rushed through rather than dwell in. So I started thinking, perhaps 2026 could be different. What if, instead of reading more, I read more deeply?
I considered a couple of alternatives. The late John MacArthur’s approach was to read through a book of the Bible every day for a month. For longer books he suggested dividing the book and reading a number of chapters every day for a month. That sounded promising. A plan that focused on smaller portions of Scripture—was just what I was looking for.
Then I came across something that seems even better. Rather than measuring progress by how many chapters are completed, how about an approach emphasizes understanding, meditation, and prayer? Many thoughtful puritan writers have encouraged this slower, more attentive way of reading. Some even warned that reading two or three chapters a day could be too much if it prevents careful reflection.
This kind of approach seems to free me from the so-many-chapters-per-day slavery and challenges me to sit with a passage rather than hurry through it. The idea is to read a paragraph, a psalm, or even a single verse and think deeply about the truth it contains. Slowing down makes room to notice repeated words, images, and themes. It promises to allow me to compare Scripture with Scripture and to ask better questions: What does this reveal about God? How does this shape my prayers? What does this say to my life right now?
Older Protestant writers were often far more concerned wringing all the spiritual benefit they could out scripture than with reading volume. They understood that Scripture is not merely data to be consumed but God’s appointed means of communion with His people. Through His Word, God speaks, corrects, comforts, and conforms us to His likeness.
This approach also reframes success for me. The goal is not finishing a checklist but reading until my heart is warmed—until my mind is renewed and my affections are stirred. That might take fifteen minutes one day and longer on another. Some days I will allow myself to linger on a single phrase. Chewing it over in my mind. Praying it into my soul, Other days, the Spirit may open a whole chapter to me. The point is that the pace is not shaped by obligation, but by attentiveness.
My 2026 plan is to work my way slowly through the book of Hebrews. My prayer is that by the end I will have a new, deeper, more profound. more soul-shaping appreciation of Jesus. For you, a focused reading plan for 2026 could mean spending several months in the Psalms, working slowly through Isaiah, or meditating deeply on one Gospel. Over time, this kind of reading builds familiarity, confidence, and spiritual depth. Instead of asking, “How much did I read today?” you may find yourself asking, “What did God show me?”
As you look ahead to 2026, consider choosing a plan that invites you not just to read the Bible—but to abide in it. Perhaps you would like to join me? I plan on covering Hebrews on my TheoFaith Youtube Channel next year. Why not subscribe and let’s see how this goes.
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