I haven’t taken the time to reflect upon this in writing, so now is as good a time as any to do so. Over the past 16 months I have embarked on a rapid Bible reading plan. I set the goal of reading the Bible three times last year. With that accomplished, I decided to duplicate it this year. That puts me two weeks away from finishing the New Testament for the fourth time since January of last year.
I want to offer here a few reflections on, and lessons learned, from my reading. These reflections will not be on the text itself. Rather I want to record the pros and cons of such reading, the habits I have had to instill to do it, and a few general reflections on the Bible as a whole (not necessarily in that order).
I. Why do I do I like reading the Bible rapidly?
A. General knowledge of the Bible is extremely helpful to the study of particular passages
First, some might ask, ‘Why would you want to read the Bible repeatedly, especially that repeatedly?’ My answer to this question is this: There is so much in and to the Bible that it is certainly helpful, if not necessary, to read it rapidly and repeatedly. Most of the life-changing reading I have done has been in the slow, in-depth study of particular passages of Scripture, not in rapid reading. But I have found that those slow, intense studies of particular passages is greatly helped because of rapid reading. It is said that ‘context is key’ to a correct understanding of Scripture. Rapid reading, at least for me, has greatly improved my understanding of context. For, not only have I gained a better understanding of particular contexts but, I have gained a greater understanding of the over-arching context of the Bible as a whole. That is, I have come to better understand the Bible as one great story, with one great theme, pointing to the gospel of Jesus Christ.The rapid reading of the Bible has allowed me to be more productive, therefore, in the study of individual passages.
I used to be of the opinion that reading without taking the time to meditate on what you read is not helpful. But my opinion has changed on this. Sometimes it is good simply to read with the end in view of simply familiarizing yourself with the text. This familiarization allows for better meditation in the long run, for it allows for improved study, as I said, of individual passages afterward.
I compare rapid reading to a steady diet and intense, particular study to a feast. You cannot have feasts all the time, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a regular diet. As a matter of fact, the regular diet will make you come to appreciate the feasts more, for they become more special, they become and occasion.I don’t expect to assimilate everything I read. Just as every gram of protein can’t be assimilated in a meal. But the steady diet of the word has certainly been good for my soul.
B. Spiritual Discipline, rather than satisfying the spiritual appetite, leads to a greater desire for study
Second, the sheer discipline of it has transformed my life. The context of my decision to begin reading the Bible in this way is this: The primary reason was physical, believe it or not. I had become overweight, and resolved to get in shape. Over the course of several months I worked really hard and lost close to 40 lbs. But I’ve kept the weight off and gotten myself into pretty good shape. It has taken a lot of discipline in exercise and diet to accomplish this. And I felt, and still do, that it would be wrong, or at least lopsided, for me to focus this much on physical discipline and not do the same spiritually. So, along with the physical discipline, I set goals to become more disciplined in Bible reading and prayer. The result was that the physical discipline actually helped me spiritually in a number of ways. One was that it kept me motivated. Another was that I actually learned a lot about discipline in general.
I planned my physical diet around 6 small meals per day. I learned from this that, when you train your body to expect food every 2 to 3 hours, your body will demand that food and make you miserable if it doesn’t get it. I found this to be the case with spiritual discipline as well. Once you establish the pattern, your soul will demand that you keep it or will make you uncomfortable for not doing so.
As this was really becoming clear to me, my preaching series in Daniel led me to the sixth chapter of that book. There Daniel continues his regular practice of prayer despite a known threat on his life. I will spare the details and only note that I came to the conclusion that Daniel’s regular habit of prayer was so strong that his soul would not allow him to abandon it even in the face of the den of lions. I want that. That is true discipline at its greatest.
A regular, disciplined, reading of the Scriptures will not satisfy your desire for God’s word. Rather it will evoke greater desire within you. Each meal upon the word is merely a small meal, and as soon as it is over, you are looking forward to the next. In my own mind, as someone who tries to be physically disciplined, as well as spiritually, I see it as keeping the metabolism of the soul going strong. It is like throwing logs on the fire to keep the metabolism of the spirit running high.
II. What is my Routine?
I read approximately twelve chapters of the Bible per day. I am not perfectly strict about this. Many times I go by feel, but it averages out to twelve a day. My main principle is that I will not read less than 12 chapters if I can help it. Of course, sometimes I fail at this.
I do not like to play catch up, so, quite frankly, I don’t. I compensate for bad days by reading as much as I like on days when I particularly feel like it. For instance, I planned on reading 12 chapters today – Romans 9 – 1 Corinthians 4. But I did not feel like stopping at 1 Cor. 4, so I read on through chapter 9.
Aside from the amount I read, I read in a particular way. These readings are rapid (as the title of the post implies). I will not, as a general rule, stop at particular passages unless they move me greatly. I will at times stop to pray or to mark a particular verse or pattern. But I will not go to a commentary or stop unnecessarily. That is something to do at a different time. I want to indwell the Bible. I want to get caught up in the flow of the story or argument and I do not want to impede this in any way if I can help it. There will be other times for detailed study and meditation, but this is not the time. I will often pick out one verse per day to commit to memory and let my prayer time later on be influenced by that verse. Aside from that, I want a fast-paced reading without much reflection. I will save the reflection for studies on particular passages later.
III. Is it difficult?
Yes and no. There are days when it is difficult. I have a wife and two small children. I have a full-time ‘secular’ job and preach three Sundays each month. It would be easy to say I don’t have the time. The fact of the matter is that you must prioritize. If I have to choose today between reading those extra chapters of 1 Corinthians or reading a chapter of Chesterton, I will choose Paul. Often it simply means that I must stay up a little later than I planned to make sure the reading gets done.
But at this point discipline has set in to the point that I just won’t let myself go without reading. In this sense its easy – like eating is easy. If you are hungry you will make time to eat, and you likely won’t complain about it.
The issue, especially at first, is will. Can you set a goal and meet it? Can you prioritize? You can if you want to. You just have to want to. The TV can wait. Your wife and children can’t wait, they are too important. You must make them your priority. But if you don’t spend time in God’s Word you won’t be the husband and father that you want to be. So remember that it is for their good as well as yours.
Excellent post. I particularly liked the “What is my routine” part. I think I’ll give it a go.
Thank you. I don’t think you’ll regret it. It never gets old and it always gets richer. You’ll have bad days and good days. I would therefore stress not playing catch up. If you have a bad day, don’t try to make up for it. Just try to start afresh the next day.
“Most of the life-changing reading I have done has been in the slow, in-depth study of particular passages of Scripture, not in rapid reading. But I have found that those slow, intense studies of particular passages is greatly helped because of rapid reading. ”
-I have been learning this recently. “Leaning” is the key word there. I have discovered that it is ridiculously hard for me to not to want to stop and chew the cud all the time…then I never get anywhere. Doug Wilson exhorts similarly by simply saying “read like a reader.”
“I do not like to play catch up, so, quite frankly, I don’t. I compensate for bad days by reading as much as I like on days when I particularly feel like it.”
-That is a helpful way to think about it. “Bible in a Year” plans have always made me feel rushed, generating much the same peculiar feeling as “being late for school” every time I sit with the Word.
“I want to indwell the Bible. I want to get caught up in the flow of the story or argument and I do not want to impede this in any way if I can help it.”
-Reading without stops in order to get “caught up in the flow of the story or argument” is a very helpful point for me as well.