I have lived convinced for many years that the Bible is a huge book that takes hours upon hours to read. Whilst I have read plenty of it over my life time, I had never intentionally read it cover to cover.

As an avid reader, I tend to inhale books. It is normal for me to have multiple books on the go at once and to read for hours at a time (when time permits…or when time is made to accomodate haha). In spite of this, reading the Bible cover to cover seemed like a big commitment, especially since most bible reading plans are designed across an entire year.

My concept was challenged when I was reading a book in late February that stated that the Bible takes approximately 78 hours to be read at ‘pulpit pace’. This sentence got my attention! Really, 78 hours at pulpit pace, was that all? This evaporated my concept of the Bible being this huge long read in an instant!

Immediately I launched an online search for bible reading plans; I had a fresh determination to conquer the cover to cover challenge.

Most plans in the initial search results were indeed for a twelve month period but I knew my commitment would likely wane if given that luxurious time frame (don’t get me wrong, I am all for reading the bible across a year but I knew myself, and I knew that for this first cover to cover experience I would need firmer boundaries).

After a bit of digging I found a 3 month plan and was pondering diving in when, jackpot….a thirty day plan emerged (click here to access)! I tentatively read through the outline and wondered if I could commit to the recommended 1.5-2 hours per day that it would require.

Coincidentally March was approaching, as was Easter, and with the lovely 31 days of March beckoning (a cheeky extra day buffer just in case) and the idea of reading God’s Word as a great lead up to celebrating Easter, I decided to commit. I hit print and out spat the list of daily reading assignments.

As Day 1 dawned, I felt an excited anticipation, l sat in a cosy chair, Bible in hand (along with my favourite bookmark poised to manage my progress) and turned to Genesis 1:1.

I decided to time the reading for the first few days to see how much time I would need to carve out of each day; the average was about 1 hour and 10 minutes with most days requiring 40-50 chapters of reading.

My expectations going in:

• To absorb the over-arching story of God
• To keep it simple – no deep expository reading or pulling out commentaries
• To spend some time in Bible books that rarely got a visit (hello Numbers, Ecclesiastes and Lamentations)
• To be inspired by concepts and/or characters that I had never heard of before

I went into this with a simple desire to have read the bible cover to cover. What I didn’t expect was just how much more that this experience would impact me.

The more I was reading, the more I felt like I was seeing the heart of God the Father. As harsh as some aspects of Old Testament life can feel, I saw the Father’s love for His children. I saw flashes of the dispensation of Grace tucked in Old Testament stories; I saw whispers of the move of the Holy Spirit that we can so readily embrace today.

Each day I would feel an excitement to get to my reading, in some ways it was like when I was discovering the love of God for the first time. Throughout each day I would feel God’s presence around me, like my base line of peace had risen up a notch or two. Interestingly at the same time, life was serving up some intense situations but the reading was like calm in the storm for me.

As the days clocked up I found myself slipping subconsciously into moments of reflection, little spaces of worship where my heart seemed to be just simply smiling with God. I found the tension between the demands of the day and the desire to be led daily by the Spirit subside, His steps more clearly before me.

Sure on some days reading huge chunks of Numbers and Leviticus felt like an endurance marathon, but each book added something, another link to the revelation of the handiwork of a beautiful, intentional Creator.

One of the most poignant chapters that impacted me deeply was Nehemiah 3. It speaks of the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem. One could definitely read this chapter as essentially a list of the people (and groups) who contributed to this rebuilding, section by section, however it unfolded as so much more for me; a passage that displayed the interconnecting work that we, as God’s children, contribute to when we love God and love others, sharing the good news and shining His light into a darkened world.

This passage could be viewed in a generational context, each generation working on a ‘section’ of the wall, but just as much we could look at it as the various Christian communities of our day, working side by side in our sections but overall, sharing God’s heart across a world in desperate need of Hope. In reading the Bible cover to cover, I saw the tapestry of His design emerge; how a chapter in Nehemiah intertwines with Mark 16:15 – Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation – and then lays it at our feet with Esther 4:14 – For such a time as this – to inspire us to know Him, love Him and be carriers of His glory in our world.

So after the 30 Day shREAD, you could say I felt ‘lighter’ (bad pun, I know); I definitely felt like I had got to know God a little more, and I felt like I had tasted what it means when the Bible is referred to as the ‘living Word’.

Would I recommend this somewhat intense reading commitment….absolutely!

Do I miss it now that it is over…yes!

Has it inspired me to continue to spend time in the Word to get to know the Living Word, without a doubt!

But perhaps, for the very most of all, it showed me that without even trying to do anything more than read the Bible, God’s presence soaked into my being bringing refreshing, renewal and a very tangible experience.