What I Learned When I Read the Bible Chronologically in One Year

Words by Marlene Ruth Brubacher and posted with her permission. Image sourced from Pixabay.

In 2019, I decided that The Time Had Come to strike out alone for the far shore. My quest: to finally read the Bible through in one year. And to read it chronologically, following this plan I found online.

I did it.

Yes, sometimes I fell behind. It was a stiff schedule, and took time and determination. I had given my aunt Katherine permission to check up on me throughout the year; she didn’t often, but the accountability kept me going.

What did I learn?

I leaned I was dreadfully lazy. In the beginning of the year, reading three or four chapters a day sounded overwhelming. It wasn’t; I just had to grow some muscle. *

I learned that I was woefully ignorant about Biblical context. I thought I knew that you must always read surrounding verses. But there is a significant difference between studying Ephesians 2:14 in the context on verses 1-22, or reading the book of Ephesians in one gulp.

I learned that I was woefully ignorant about Biblical chronology. It’s why I had chosen that challenge, of course, but I lacked a big-picture view. At last, I feel like I understand how all the kings and prophets fit together, and where the book of Acts and the different epistles correlate.

I learned that the inexhaustible Bible is perfectly suited for a year’s reflections. I started on January 1, crisp and clean, and the Book opened with “In the beginning, God…”; I ended the eve of December 31, the end of the decade, with trumpets and glory and honour, with “Even so come, Lord Jesus”.

Will I do it again?

I hope so. Not this year; I’m ready for a different program. But someday I hope to repeat the challenge, the stretching, the growing. We’re poised at the brink of a new decade, and despite all the clever quips about 20/20 Vision, nothing will clear our sight like immersion in the Word.

*This is my personal testimony; I am not trying to shame anyone else. If you are an overwhelmed mom of five preschoolers, please know that as I have peace with God and with my fellowmen I am not trying to burden you with one more task. He sees you reaching for Him in the swirl of diapers and dishrags, and He meets you there.  

Meet the author: Marlene Ruth Brubacher lives among the mines and pines of northwestern ON where winters bring -45 C, and summers bring loons' yodels on sparkling lakes. She is a cleaner, baker, writer, and editor who thrives on coffee, poetry, and global friendships.