A Fresh Bible Reading Plan for the New Year

Another new year is here. Maybe you’re like many Christians looking for a fresh start in the Word, determined to finally read the Bible cover to cover. Maybe you’ve tried before made it to February before Leviticus slowed you down. Or maybe you’re hesitant to even try again, unsure if a reading plan is what your soul really needs.

But Bible reading isn’t just about reaching Revelation by December. It’s about seeing glory, savoring truth, and being shaped daily into someone who makes Christ look magnificent. That’s why this year, more than ever, you need a Bible reading plan not to perform, but to pursue.

Why a Plan Helps

For years, John Piper has returned to one particular tool: The Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan. It guides you through four different sections of Scripture each day two Old Testament, two New Testament so you read the entire Bible in a year. The beauty of this structure is how it brings both breadth and depth.

You won’t understand everything you read. That’s not the point. But covering all of Scripture annually helps you see the overarching beauty of God’s redemptive story while also giving you a few verses each day that can go deeper into your heart.

Even better? The plan only includes 25 reading days per month, giving you five or six grace days. You’re not behind if life interrupts. You’re invited to catch up, slow down, or use that margin for memorization or prayer.

Why Bible Reading Matters More Than Ever

You don’t read the Bible to feel spiritual. You don’t read it to check a box. You read it because without it, you will be spiritually empty. Piper puts it bluntly “Left to myself, I am an absolute dud.”

We read Scripture because we want to be awed by God again. Not with vague inspiration or Instagram theology, but with the actual voice of God that speaks through his Word. As 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “We all… beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image.” Transformation only comes through beholding.

If you want to see Christ as magnificent in 2026 in your work, your habits, your marriage, your loneliness you have to start by seeing Him in the Word. And that means regular, honest, hungry time with your Bible.

How to Read with Joy, Not Guilt

This year, don’t read the Bible because you’re supposed to. Read it because your soul longs for glory. Every person, every page, every promise whispers something about God’s beauty. But seeing it isn’t automatic. That’s why every reading must begin with prayer.

Before you read, pause and pray “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” (Psalm 119:18)

That one prayer said daily, simply, expectantly might change your entire year. Because when you read the Bible that way, you’re not chasing verses. You’re chasing God Himself.

Ready to Start?

You can download the Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan as a free PDF and start today. Or find it baked into Bible apps like Logos or YouVersion. Don’t wait for the perfect moment just begin.

And remember: the goal isn’t to finish. The goal is to see glory, savor truth, and become more like Christ.

Let 2026 be the year where you didn’t just resolve to read the Bible but you learned to love it more deeply than ever before.

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