Don’t Wait Until January: Let’s Read the Bible Together!
By Andrew Gordon
My current Bible reading plan is going to be complete this week. No, that doesn’t mean I read through the Bible in six months. It means I failed to read through the whole Bible in 2019 and needed half of 2020 to finish! I imagine many of you are like me and struggle to keep after a disciplined plan.
I’ve noticed the following things about myself over the years. See if you can relate:
- Reading straight through can be tough, especially if you are new to the Bible struggle to understand the Old Testament.
- A lot of us fell off the path in February or March.
- It’s easy to treat a plan as all-or-nothing.
- We do a lot better with encouragement and accountability.
- January is a long way off to wait to start a new reading plan.
Since we all need help, let’s help each other!
The Plan
My favorite reading plan is call the Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan. It has you read from four sections of scripture each day from each of the following four categories:
- OT History & Prophets
- Poetry & Isaiah
- Gospels
- Acts & Letters.
You’ll get a taste of how the whole Bible fits together and experience a variety of scripture each day. Each month only has 25 reading days, meaning we get catch-up days every month.
Encouragement
Most of us struggle going from 0 to 60 with a reading plan. In fact, ramping up to reading the Bible even 15-20 minutes a day from zero minutes can prove to be unsustainable. Gradual increase over time will help you develop discipline. Here are some ways to do just that:
- Read through the Bible in two years by reading through two columns per month rather than all four. You can always pick up more and more as you go along.
- Get a head start by not waiting until July 1, but take it slow.
- 5 minutes is better than zero minutes. Start there.
God never told us to read his word through once every year. But he did say to meditate on it day and night (Psalm 1:2) and to hide it in our hearts (Psalm. 119:11).
Let’s Do This
On July 1, I plan to start this reading plan on “day one.” I’m inviting you to come with me. We are better together. I will set up a private Facebook group for us to discuss what we are learning and encourage each other to stay on track. If you want to be a part of the group you can email me to let me know (pastorandrew@winfieldbaptistchurch.com). You can follow along with the reading plan in several ways. On the Bible app, search for Discipleship Journal Reading Plan. Or click here for a PDF version. Start with January to make sure you start at the beginning!
There’s more to Bible study than simply reading through it. But by reading through it, we can get the big picture of what God is doing. Come check out the view with me.
Blessings,
Pastor Andrew
Experiencing God Through Prayer
December 23, 2025 by Andrew • Uncategorized • 0 Comments
Want to grow in your relationship with God? I mean do you want to really grow? The answer probably won’t surprise you: Read the Bible and Pray! But did that answer discourage you because you are already doing that and still think you have a long way to go? I have good news for you. You are not alone. I have been there myself. But as I’ve walked with the Lord, God has used his word and others to help me grow in this very area. I want to share it with you!
Several years ago, I was confronted with a question: How often are your prayers connected to the scripture you are reading? I answered, “Uh, a little, I guess.” That led to another question: Does your reading and prayer life feel more like a conversation or more like two people saying what they have to say even if they never connect to each other? I answered, “The second one.” I would read. I’d ask God to help me apply the word in a five-second request. Then I’d be off in my prayers, listing my own praises, confessions, and requests.
But I learned some good news: Bible reading and prayer can be a conversation! I’d like to challenge you in the same way I was pressed in my prayer life.
Challenge: Let God pick the topic of conversation in your prayer life.
Sounds Good! How do I do that?!
Most of us know that a balanced prayer life includes praise, thanks, confession, and requests. Praise reflects on who God is. Thanksgiving is how we acknowledge what he has done. Confession is the first step in repentance where we acknowledge our need to grow and change. Requests ask God to provide for our needs or ask him for what we want.
When you are meditating on a passage of scripture, you allow God to set the conversation topics when you look to that passage to supply the knowledge and insight for your prayers.
If you are anything like me, the praise, thanks, and confession aspects of this challenge came the most naturally. But I had not thought much about letting the passage direct how I pray through my “list” of petitions. But here’s how it can be. I’ll use a request for a tough job situation and a request for a sick family member as examples.
Let’s say you are meditating on 3 John 4 in which John says that he has no greater joy than to hear that his children are walking in the truth.
This radically changed the way I pray for the people in my life. God wants us to ask him our requests. But I know when I pray the Bible over people, I’m praying God’s will for them!
I would suggest that if you start praying this way, two things will happen. First, your relationship with God will grow by leaps and bounds. Second, neither your Bible reading nor your prayer life will ever be the same.
At our church, we have provided a simple prayer guide to help you pray through this. I have included it at the end of this post. I hope it will help you in your personal prayer.
There is one more piece of to the guide that I haven’t mentioned yet. On the guide, it’s labeled “Approaching God.” Find a passage on prayer that you will use for a week, month, or even a year at a time every day to open your prayer time. Maybe it’s the Lord’s model prayer in Matthew 6 or Luke 11. Or maybe the call to pray confidently in Hebrews 4:14-16. But read that passage and ask God to guide your time in the word and prayer based on what that passage says.
Great! Where do I start? I’m so glad you asked. Whether it’s your reading plan or a book of the Bible you are studying through, meditate on a passage of scripture. Then allow this passage to be the jump off point for your prayers to God in the areas of praise, thanksgiving, confession, and requests.
I genuinely pray that this will help you grow in grace (2 Peter 3:18). And I believe that God will answer it, because that’s how he works in our lives through his word (John 17:17).
If you want to join us as a church, we are going through a Bible reading plan in 2026. I encourage you to take up the challenge, and maybe use your reading in one of the four reading sections as your passage for daily prayer. Physical copies of the reading plan are available at the church. But you can also join us on the Bible app. Just follow this link: https://bible.com/reading-plans/155/together/77633873/invitation?token=6f1JNoDghMxXPzj1i-GnGQ&source=share
I am indebted to some authors who wrote some really good books that helped me get here:
The Guide:
Prayer Guide – Date: _______________
Approaching God: Pray through a text about God to focus mind and prayer. Text: _________________________
Scripture Meditation: Use as a guide to pray scripture in all 3 areas
Passage: ________________________________