The Perfect-Fitting Bible Reading Plan
You know how you feel when you find that perfect pair of shoes?
It’s like finding the perfect Bible reading plan.
It may seem strange to compare a Bible reading plan to a pair of shoes, but it can be almost as hard to find a reading plan that “works” as it is to find a pair of shoes that don’t leave you in tears by the end of the day—like the shoes I wore at a friend’s wedding last year.
As I dressed for the wedding, I considered two choices. A strappy pair of heels that perfectly coordinated with my new outfit or the pair I’d worn at my son’s wedding a few years before. I’d bought that pair from a ballroom dancing company that crafts shoes to be both gorgeous and non-crippling.
You know which pair I chose, right? The seemingly perfect match to my outfit—the new heels. The high heels. The cruel, strappy weapons of torture.
After two hours confined in these bear traps disguised as high fashion, I once again had two choices. Either, I could release my feet from the shoes’ cruel grip, or I could crumple onto the floor and crawl for the rest of the evening.
I can’t say I’ve ever used a Bible reading plan that crumpled me to the floor. But I can say I’ve found a plan I’ll love for the rest of my life. That perfect plan—the Five-Day Bible Reading Plan.
How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the (Five) Ways
To steal from Elizabeth Barrett Browning, I love thee, Five-Day Bible Reading Plan, because of the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach.1
1. I love thee because you give me a better depth of understanding.
The Five-Day Bible Reading Plan provides us the opportunity to develop a depth of understanding we’d miss if we simply read the Bible haphazardly or as it’s published—Genesis straight through to Revelation.
I’ve seen many great plans, but so far, I haven’t seen one that connects the stories and God’s purposes better than this one.
The plan’s creators painstakingly coordinated each day’s reading in the Old and the New Testaments to complement each other and reinforce God’s message.
For instance, on the day we read about Joseph being brought out of the dungeon and exalted in power by Pharaoh in Genesis 41, we read about Jesus rising from the dead and stepping out of the grave in Mark 16. The juxtaposition is stunning.
On the day we read about Obadiah declaring God’s plan to restore His rebellious people, we also read God’s Word to Jeremiah in chapters 40-42 that if His people will submit to their captors, in due time He’ll lift them up.
On the same day, we read Peter’s encouragement in 1 Peter 5 to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt us at the proper time—as He did for God’s people according to the word of the Lord given to Obadiah and Jeremiah.
Seeing the depth of the Bible’s connectedness reveals the brilliant mind of our God and of the intricacies of His redemptive plan as it stretches across eternity.
Every day I look forward to discovering more Redemption pictures and Christ-connections in all the Scriptures.
This plan shows us why the Old Testament is invaluable for understanding the whole Bible.
I may have to take a deep breath when I get to the parts of Leviticus that deal with bodily fluids and other nauseating issues, but even those verses show us the immeasurable wisdom of God.
2. I love thee because you give me a better breadth of understanding.
The best way for us to grasp the breadth of the Bible’s overarching story is to read it in large chunks at a time—like we read a novel.
Imagine trying to remember the characters and plot points of a novel if we read it like most of us read the Bible—pieces and parts over many years, and rarely reading the entire book.
To best understand the breadth of God’s story, it’s best to read the whole Bible quickly and in a chronologically connected format. (Unless your memory is better than mine.)
Don’t panic, though. While this plan provides more than a Scripture snack each day, it doesn’t require hours of reading.
Whenever the readings are larger than the time you have for that particular day, take the weekend to catch up.
Take all the time you need. You’re not trying to win a race. You’re building a relationship and learning the greatest Book in history. The Book that will transform your life.
Sometimes we read letters from our loved ones quickly, eager to devour every delightful word.
Other times we prefer to linger over the letters and savor every love-drenched word. This year I’ve been soaking in, not sprinting through, God’s Word. I’ll finish the plan by spring, not by December 31st. When I start it again, I plan to read it quickly, like the riveting, true-life account that it is.
3. I love thee because your readings are in chronological order.
The creators of this plan provide a chronological reading through the Old Testament. Prophets like Jeremiah didn’t always write in chronological order. The readings, therefore, jump around to provide a more sequential understanding of the events they record.
Books such as Kings and Chronicles are written chronologically. The plan takes breaks in these books to send us to the prophetic books that cover the events they present.
The New Testament readings in this plan aren’t as strictly chronological. If they were, we’d have to read all four Gospels at the same time. Instead, the plan spreads out the Gospels so we can focus on the life, death, and resurrection of Christ throughout the year.
Because we don’t know when every book was written, the creators of the plan placed each book where they felt it fit most appropriately. They chose to conclude the plan with a powerful duo—Job and Revelation. What an amazing way to end your journey through the Bible.
4. I love thee because your five-day design gives me wiggle room.
This five-day plan enables readers to finish the Bible in a year, while only following it five days each week.
If you use the plan faithfully Monday through Friday, you can either take the weekends off (but why would you want to?) or use the weekend to dive deeper into some passages.
You could also choose to read at a slower pace or catch up if you’ve fallen behind.
5. I love thee because I can use any Bible I want.
Some plans require you to buy a specific Bible, such as the excellent One-Year Bible. This plan offers an updated and free Five Day Bible Reading Plan download you can print and stick into your favorite Bible.
I Shall Love Thee Forever
To borrow from Elizabeth Barrett Browning one more time, “I love thee with the breath, smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.”
I only came to truly love my ballroom dancing shoes after I realized they kept me dancing while my strappy high fashion pair crumpled me to the floor. I will love the former forever now.
Once I get to heaven and see how the Five-Day Bible Reading Plan helped me truly see and know the Lord better, I will love it all the more.
Nothing else we can do feeds our soul, strengthens our spirits, or makes our hearts dance like reading God’s Word.
Do what you must every day. Feed the baby, walk the dog, and shop for that perfect pair of shoes. But also read God’s Word. Let it transform your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
We’ll never truly know and love the God of the Word
apart from the Word of God.
This article first appeared on Revive Our Hearts.
1Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43) – Poems” Poets.org (Academy of American Poets), accessed December 28, 2021, https://poets.org/poem/how-do-i-love-thee-sonnet-43.
