Read the Bible in 90 Days

I had never heard of doing this until one of my friend posted on Facebook that she had just finished reading the Bible in 90 days. I looked into it, and found a schedule online for reading the entire Bible in just 88 days plus two "grace days." Since moving to Thailand, I had struggled with getting into a regular routine of Bible reading. Some days I would read a few verses, other days a chapter, and even nothing on some days. I grew up with the knowledge that reading and studying the whole Bible, not just the most intriguing parts, was important. My parents both read the Bible through regularly, as well as many other mature Christians I respect. Because of this, had read through the entire Bible before, but the last time was years ago. I would just read books that interested me at the time, and I was never interested in slugging through 1 and 2 Chronicles or trying to dig out the meaning in Jeremiah and Lamentations. Having a specific goal in mind appealed to me. Also, ninety days is a much more immediate end point than a whole year. And I like a challenge.

Since moving to Thailand and not having regular small group or much fellowship with other women, I have been struggling with feelings of spiritual isolation. To counteract this and to provide accountability, I invited some other women to read with me. Two accepted: one in Oklahoma and another in Bolivia. So we were reading together all over the world. It was fun to read their thoughts and to have a daily link to these two friends. In fact, my friend in Bolivia and I are now reading the Bible chronologically together, although at the much slower pace of a year.

Reading the whole Bible in 90 days meant reading the entire Torah (first 5 books) in 15 days! It was amazing to see the character of God as he related with man from Creation through the Israelites entering into the Promised Land. I felt that I got to know Moses as a character in a way I never had before. I also got a real picture of how many times people fail the Lord, but how He persists in loving and guiding. Those first two week were probably my favorite in the read through.

I found many other insights while reading the Bible at this pace, but most important is my continued desire to read and study the Word. A day now feels strange if I'm not reading a few chapters of the Bible. I discovered so many passages that I want to go back and study in depth. I also developed a strong desire to show my children the big picture of God's faithfulness and plan in the Old Testament leading to the culmination of Jesus' birth. I have been able to work on a "curriculum" to this end, giving them an in depth study on stories they have previously heard only in the children's "Sunday School" version.

I encourage any Christian to take the "90 Day Challenge." The point of the challenge is purely to read every word in the Bible during that time and to gain a better understand of the book as a whole. Many questions will be raised, you will not remember every detail, but you will be in a great position to continue studying God's Word. So what are you waiting for? Enlist a couple of friends and start reading! Then let me know how it goes. Have you already done this? Write a comment on your experience below.