What I appreciated about their format was the fact you didn't have to start in Genesis at the beginning of the year and end in Revelations. Each day of the week started at a different point of the Bible. Sunday was always from the Psalms. Monday readings began in Genesis, while on Tuesdays they started in Joshua. Job was the beginning point for Wednesday and Isaiah for Thursday. On Friday and Saturday the readings were from the New Testament, starting in Matthew and Romans respectively.
The daily readings were usually between two to four chapters in length, with the exception of Thursdays, which averaged five or six chapters. To keep track, I would use a highlighter to mark off the days as I finished them. Sometimes I would fall behind, but eventually would get caught up. Another good feature was a special prayer focus for each week, featuring needs from all over the world.
The first year, upon completion, I found myself saying, "Yes! I did it!!" The following year, to my amazement, I discovered new and fresh revelations from God's Word. Eventually, I found myself telling God I would commit to doing the reading plan, but asked Him to teach me in a fresh and new perspective. With my roots in the Lutheran faith, and later years spent in the Assembly of God denomination, there were different ways of interpreting various passages. What I desired was for God to speak direct to my heart, without taking into consideration what I had been told in the past.
The amazing part of reading the Bible is it never gets old. It is a "living Word" which speaks in new ways as we continue to explore it. Personally, I like to underline and jot notes in my Bible, so it's use is now quite evident. There are times I reference a variety of Bible translations, but I enjoy sticking with one Bible, as it becomes familiar over time and I can even remember where on the page certain favorite passages can be found.
One would think in retirement it would be easy to keep up my discipline. Instead, I found myself neglecting my Bible reading. No longer did I have a strict schedule, and it was easy to get lax in the routine.
Just this week I decided to try get back into the Prayer Point plan, and easily finished the Sunday and Monday assignments. Then , with Vacation Bible School taking up our evenings, I fell behind. Today I was going to catch up, but couldn't find my reading guide anywhere. It was then I decided to pull the old trick of closing my Bible, and saying, "I'm going to start reading. . . .HERE!" Isaiah 40 was the page I opened to, which had the familiar words of Handel's Messiah. I found myself even singing a few of the passages.
The interesting thing about my Bible reading today was God brought me to two passages which I later was able to share with someone over Facebook. The first was from Isaiah 40:31.
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
They will run and not grow weary,
They will walk and not faint.
Continuing into chapter 41, I found verse 10 to share with someone facing a challenging medical diagnosis:
So do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Perhaps the best advice I ever received on Bible reading came from my maternal grandmother at the age of 100. When asked what her best advice would be, she said, "Read the Word, and stick to it!" As far as a reading plan, follow one if you like, but don't feel afraid of breaking routine if the Holy Spirit prompts you. You never know when God might want to offer precisely what you need for the day.
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