To the Girl Who Struggles with Reading the Bible – Part 1

“I struggle with reading the Bible, I have my whole life. After over 60 years of being a Christian I thought I would be better at it.”

I listened in astonishment as this seasoned Christian woman shared her struggle of reading God’s word consistently with our discussion group of about a dozen women. And when our group leader proceeded to ask if anyone else struggled with reading the Bible I was completely taken off guard by the response. Every single woman raised her hand. Some found it difficult to be consistent, others were frustrated that they don’t get more out of Bible reading.

Later that same day I started chatting with a teenage girl in my church over a cup of coffee. She wasn’t in our study group and didn’t know anything about our discussion. But almost immediately she started sharing with me her desire to read God’s word more consistently and get more out of her time in the word.

Obviously this is a big struggle for a lot of you.

What did I tell this girl when she asked me about reading the Bible? “Don’t feel bad, there’s nothing you can really do about it. I just heard from an older lady that she has struggled with this all her life. All you can do is keep trying”? – No I didn’t say any of that.

Well then what did I tell this girl who wants to love the word of God? I told her that it is possible to read the Bible consistently. That it is possible to learn from God’s word, to love it. And you don’t have to wait until you are 80 for this to happen. It can happen right now. How can I say that with such confidence? Because countless men and women throughout history have proven it true and I have experienced it in my own life.

David probably loved the word of God more than anyone in history. The longest chapter in the Bible is David rejoicing in God’s Word and declaring it’s benefits. Listen to this:

“I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love. My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes… Oh how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day… How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding… Your word is very pure; therefore You servant loves it. I am small and despised, yet I do not forget Your precepts… Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, yet Your commandments are my delights… My heart stands in awe of Your word. I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure.” (Ps119:47-48, 97, 103-104, 140-141, 143, 161-162)

I long to see you, though you may feel small, despised and young, delight in the law of God. David did. I do. And I believe you can too.

I’m going to let you in on my conversation with the girl from my church. I’m going to share with you some of the advice I gave her on how to be consistent and how to get the most out of her time in the Word. So grab a coffee or some chocolate and let’s tackle some questions!

Where do I start?

The Bible is a big book. Where do you start and what should you read? I’ve found that where you read from isn’t as important as having a plan and sticking to it.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). 

So God will use every page to accomplish His work in your life. However if you don’t know what you are reading each day, chances are you won’t be consistent and you definitely won’t get much out of your time in the word. So pick a book, make a schedule, or download a reading plan and stick with it, rather than just opening to a random page and starting somewhere new every day or week.

Currently I’m reading through the entire Bible in 1 year. I know that in order to do this I have to average 3 chapters a day but I usually read as much as I have time for. Some days that means 1 chapter, most often it ends up being 4-5 chapters, and occasionally I’ll really enjoy what I’m reading and devour 9! The point is, every day I know what I’m reading.

Over the years I’ve tried a few different things. Here is a list of some of my favourite ways to read:

• Start at the first chapter in Genesis and read through the whole Bible (decide how many chapters you would like to read each day, 3.25 chapters each day gets you done in 1 year)
• Read through the New Testament and Psalms and Proverbs reading 1 chapter from the New Testament and 1 Psalm or Proverb each day
• Click here to download over a dozen different Bible reading plans you can follow or modify.

Start Now

Next week we will tackle questions about genealogies, how often you should read the Bible and what to do if you just don’t have time. But don’t wait until then to dive into God’s word!

Go download a reading plan and comment below to let me know what plan you chose!

Or if you already are reading the Bible, let me know what you currently use. How do you decide what to read each time you open your Bible?