Many people have made resolutions and set goals for 2026. These resolutions are of various kinds: resolutions to start new habits, resolutions to stop old habits, and resolutions to continue in good habits. One of the resolutions that believers in Jesus Christ make is to read their Bibles more and better in the new year. I applaud them; I make that same resolution each year.
I’ve found over the years that if I don’t have a Bible reading plan of some kind, my Bible reading is not focused, and I don’t accomplish much. I have varied the plans I use, but I’ve seen the wisdom of having some plan each year. If I don’t have a plan, I probably won’t carry through with my Bible reading. I’ve also found that varying the plan from year to year helps me stay consistent and motivated in my reading. Some prefer to use the same plan every year. The bottom line is use what works best for you to stay focused.
Bible reading is a vast topic with many different opinions about what is best, but there are a few basic principles that hold true. First, we can, and should, read our Bibles both deep and wide. Reading the Bible widely is what most people think of as reading the Bible in one year. Reading widely is reading the whole Bible in some length of time, which can be less than or greater than a year. Each reading session consists of reading multiple chapters. Reading widely is important to understand the scope of the whole biblical narrative. A failure to read the whole Bible in context can result in bad interpretations and even false teaching.
Reading the Bible deeply is what most people think of as Bible study. Reading deeply focuses on a shorter passage over a longer time. In reading deeply, it is usually better to focus on one book at a time or at least larger sections of longer books, like the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. Reading deeply is important because the Bible is deep. It is the Word of God. Doing only a surface reading often misses great truths and greater insights. In reading deeply, we not only know about God, but we also begin to know Him personally.
Another important principle in Bible reading is to set aside a time and place to meet with God. Make it a holy place and a holy time that you always keep, unless unavoidable circumstances arise. This may not seem very important, but it is. We are creatures of habit, even if we consider ourselves more spontaneous. Having a time and place set aside makes a big difference. It sets an atmosphere for the endeavor. Meeting with God is a special experience, and we should treat it as such. Fixing it in your mind and heart that this is the time and this is the place that I meet with God will make the experience more meaningful. If reading your Bible is not meaningful, you probably won’t continue reading it very long.
And finally, when we read our Bibles, it should be done prayerfully and meditatively to get the most from our time. Reading the Bible prayerfully means beginning and ending with prayer, but also prayerfully considering each verse and paragraph as we read.
Reading the Bible, the Word of God, means seeking God. The Bible calls us to seek God’s face with all our hearts. We do that best with prayer. We begin with prayer by asking Him to speak to us and to lead us in our reading. We can ask Him for understanding and wisdom, as well as the ability to concentrate and avoid distractions. The ending prayer can be a prayer response to what we’ve read. As God speaks to us from His Word, we can speak back to Him in a personal response to what He said. It can also be an opportunity to pray for others based on the insights God gave us in our reading. Humble-dependent prayer draws us closer to God and makes the Bible reading more meaningful.
Besides reading the Bible prayerfully, it’s important to read meditatively. The Bible calls us to meditation. Scripture is made for meditation. It’s good to slow down and think about what we’re reading. But it’s important to understand what the Bible means by meditation. Bible meditation is different from other kinds of meditation. Other kinds of meditation seek to empty the mind. Bible meditation, on the other hand, seeks to fill the mind with the Word of God. It is not a pause in thinking but an exercise of deep thinking. In Bible meditation, we read the passage slowly, thinking about it more deeply than we normally do as we read. We need to spend more time on each word or phrase. Bible meditation recognizes the infinite value Scripture holds.
In closing, I want to call us all to reading our Bibles more and better in 2026. We’re all busy people. If we can scratch out at least 30 minutes four days a week, I believe we’ll find our lives blessed and more productive, but more importantly, we’ll find our lives more glorifying to God, which is the ultimate purpose in all we do.