How to Actually Read The Bible in a Year (Without Quitting).

Have you ever set out to read the Bible in a year and then… stopped because you got to Leviticus and were like, “Umm… God say what?!” ;)

Or maybe life just got busy… you missed a day, and suddenly a day turned into a week… and then three. And now the plan is buried somewhere in the land of forgotten goals.

If that’s you, pull up a chair, grab your coffee, and take a breath, because your desire to read God’s Word matters. I’ve read the Bible cover to cover twice and the New Testament three times, and I want to share what actually helped me stay consistent, and what didn’t, so you don’t have to figure it out alone.

My Experience, What Worked and What Didn’t

Honestly? The strongest thing I had wasn’t a fancy plan or the perfect schedule, it was a burning desire to know Jesus more. That desire alone carried me.

A few things helped big-time:

I printed my plan. I’m a paper girl. If it lives digitally, it disappears. So I printed my Bible in a year plan and kept it where I’d see it daily. Most days I read 4–6 chapters. It varied.

I had a rhythm. In that season, evenings were my sweet spot. So every night, I sat down, just me, my Bible, and Jesus. It became our nightly coffee date.

I let myself switch it up. Some nights I was tired. Some nights I didn’t want to read at all. So I listened on audio while following along in my Bible. Other days I changed my environment, hello coffee shop + yummy coffee, and that small shift helped me show up.

And What Didn’t Work…

There were days I missed, because… well, life. And instead of grace, I reached for guilt. I’d glance at the plan and feel behind, like I had failed God somehow. I slowly turned something that was meant to be a conversation into a checklist.

And then there were the moments I’d get stuck on a passage, telling myself, “I should understand this before I move on.” But truthfully, there were entire sections where I closed my Bible and thought, “I don’t remember a single thing I just read.”

Jesus didn’t leave just because I didn’t “get it.”

Some nights, I sat there, Bible open, coffee getting cold, heart tired, and I had nothing in me. No questions. No energy. No revelation. Just silence. And yet… I could picture Him already at the table, waiting before I arrived. Coffee poured. Gentle smile. Not demanding anything, simply happy I came.

It felt like He whispered,

“You showed up. That’s enough.”

And that’s when it finally sank in:

Reading the Bible was never about how much I understood, it was about who I was meeting.

Why Most People Quit, And Let Me Encourage You Through It

“It’s overwhelming , this is a LOT of words.”

Yep. It can look big. But shift the mindset:

“God, thank You that I get to read Your Word. I’ll take this day by day. You’ll meet me there.”

Kingdom Confidence is perspective.

“I don’t understand what I’m reading.”

Totally normal. Seriously. Do the best you can and trust that the Holy Spirit will bring it back when you need it.

And yes, commentaries help. I love David Guzik (Enduring Word).

But even more powerful? Praying before you open the Word:

“Holy Spirit, help me understand what I’m about to read.”

Reading becomes a task instead of a relationship.

If you feel stuck on a verse or chapter, pause. That may be Jesus saying, “Stay here. I want to talk about this.”

This isn’t about a check mark, it’s about meeting with Jesus.

Getting stuck in Leviticus.

This moment deserves its own award 😂

Try listening while you follow along. Bring your Bible to a cozy spot. Ask,

“Jesus, where are You here?”

He is in the Old Testament too, look through the lens of Christ crucified.

No rhythm or habit.

If mornings don’t work, don’t force them. Pick a time you can really show up and guard it. Maybe you have to read it in pockets of time throughout the day. Do what works best with your unique schedule.

Not knowing what translation to read.

Test a few translations on YouVersion. Which ever one you can understand chose that one. My personal favorites are CSB and NLT, they’re easy to understand.

Final Encouragement

Whether you read the whole Bible in a year, or you linger slowly in one chapter, just… read. Just show up.

Because one verse with Jesus, surrendered, hungry, soft, will transform you more than a year long plan done out of pressure.

And if you do decide to go for the whole year plan, I’m cheering you on. And if you don’t, I’m still cheering, because what matters most is this:

You showed up to meet with Jesus.

If you want to dive deeper, I talked about this more in a YouTube video, I’ll leave the link below so you can watch it while you sip your coffee ☕️