How to Pick the Best Bible Reading Plan for 2026
Have you ever found yourself quietly pondering which Bible reading plan to try? Maybe the one year plan feels overwhelming because you’ve started before and never finished. Perhaps too much structure feels restrictive. Or it might be that you only have five minutes most mornings and you’re not sure that’s enough time to even get started.
I wish I could ask you about the hesitations that keep your Bible closed. I want to know your story. The pressures and the pain. The places where God felt close and where He seemed silent or distant.
I want to know where you’re bored and where you’re stuck.
And I’d like to hear what you hope for in a Bible reading plan. Is your goal to finish in one year? Read chronologically or cover-to-cover? To revive your love for God’s Word? To better understand what you read? Perhaps purely to spend time in the Word every day?
If you haven’t pinpointed your why, take a moment to chat with God about what’s driving your Bible reading goal.
Naming what excites us and what makes us afraid when it comes to reading our Bible is important because motivation matters. When we read primarily to check a box, it’s only a matter of time before we check out. If we read out of guilt or obligation, we approach the Word already bored. If we expect the words to go over our head, we’ll forget God promises us wisdom if we’ll only ask (James 1:5). And if we give up before we get started, we’ll never give the Word a chance to become our lifeline in crisis, our won’t-miss rhythm, our reassurance of God’s with-ness.
What Happened When I Read the Bible in a Year
There’s something about the freshness of a brand new year that stirs my desire to read my Bible. I think back to the year I signed a commitment to read the Bible in one year. I was fifteen and fueled by curiosity. What would happen if I didn’t give up this time? Would the Bible ever become less boring? I’d heard that habits can lead the heart. That sometimes we keep showing up when we don’t feel like it, and eventually we will crave that time in the Word.
A love for God’s Word. That’s what I wanted. To converse with God as I read. To find Jesus inside the words.
I followed the plan in the back of my Bible, a cover-to-cover one. It wasn’t until I hit Job, several months in, that I sensed a shift. I was no longer reading because I needed to prove to myself that I wasn’t a quitter. I wasn’t reading rushed and disinterested. I was on holy ground and the words were becoming “sweet as honey,” as the Psalmist once said (Psalm 119:103).
I can’t say that I’ve always understood what I’ve read or that I’m always excited to open my Bible, but something irreversible changed for me that year. When you know the joy, the soul aliveness, the consistent comfort that comes when you talk with God through His Word, you never forget.
Since then I’ve tried numerous other Bible reading plans. They’ve ranged from shorter plans specifically for Advent and Lent, to a 3-year chronological plan, to a Bible in one year plan, to a rapid read in 90 days plan.
And here’s what I’ve discovered: more important than the plan you choose is daily Bible reading. When you get in the Word, the Word gets into you. And when the Word gets into you, it rearranges, revives, and renames you.
How to Pick the Best Bible Reading Plan
The Bible is not filled with outdated, irrelevant words, but life-giving ones that search your heart and set you free:
The word of God, you see, is alive and moving; sharper than a double-edged sword; piercing the divide between soul and spirit, joints and marrow; able to judge the thoughts and will of the heart.
A Bible reading plan is an avenue to let the Word get deep into you. To pick the one that’s best for you, in this season, use these quick tips:
1. Explore options outside of the one in the back of your Bible.
For shorter, guided plans, check out the ones on YouVersion. You can find chronological plans online, or you could buy a chronological Bible. If you want a Bible in one year plan but not a cover-to-cover one, Google one that includes passages from the Old and New Testament each day. And if you’ve never tried Mary Demuth’s 90-day Bible reading challenge, I can only say that it will wreck you more than you might imagine.
2. Drop the ones you feel you should do.
If you catch your shoulds rising as you weigh a particular Bible reading plan, pay attention. This might not be the right plan for you right now. However, if you feel a giddy anticipation you can’t shake, even if you don’t know how you’ll find the time, ask if that’s God’s Spirit prompting you to trust Him.
3. Have a plan.
Having a plan might not mean that you’re following a pre-set Bible reading plan. It might be adapting a plan you like, slowing it down to a sustainable pace. Or the plan might simply be to read one book of the Bible at a time, no matter the pace. Without a plan, we’re less likely to read. But don’t let the plan itself get in your way.
I’ve had seasons where soaking in the Word in an unhurried, check-mark-free way was exactly what I needed. Sometimes I reread the same verse or short passage multiple days in a row until I’m ready to move on. Some days I read long, others for just a few minutes. Regardless of the plan I’m following, I love processing what I read with Ann Voskamp’s Sacred Prayer journal.
Having a plan means you don’t have to make on-the-spot decisions about what to read in your Bible. It means you’re more motivated to pick up your Bible. It means more opportunity for the Word of God, His Spirit-breathed words, to get inside you.
As you prayerfully consider a Bible reading plan to try next, here’s my prayer for you:
Lord, stir a hunger for Your Word in my friend today. Give her eyes to see You, ears hear You, and a heart to cherish the sound of Your voice. Guide her to the best Bible reading plan for her right now.
In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Just a friend over here in your corner,
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