Daily Reading

At the beginning of last summer, I made a renewed effort to read the Bible daily. Like a lot of folks, I’ve tried to read scripture daily quite a few times in my life, but haven’t been successful in continuing the habit for a whole year.

So I dug up an old copy of “The One Year Bible” from my book shelves and started with June 1. This book contains the entire NIV arranged in 365 daily readings, including a little bit of everything (Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs) each day.

I did pretty well throughout the summer, but found myself wishing I could talk about what I was reading with someone reading the same passages. So I found another copy of the book (circa 1986) and convinced a good friend to join me.

My husband wondered why we didn’t use the plethora of online tools instead of an archaic paper book. I’ve tried the online tools (and believe me, I love online tools) and just wasn’t successful. So much of my life is online, that my scripture reading inevitably took a back seat, especially when it came into an inbox that already receives dozens of other messages daily.

And with all the reading I now do on my phone and iPad, the physical book has become a somewhat unique thing in my house. So I stuck with the paperback and found the best place to leave it was the one place I visited without fail each and every day: the bathroom. I know, I’m probably providing you with too much information, at this point, but hey, it works. (Like my daughter’s beloved children’s book… Everybody Poops. )

When fall came, I found it tougher to commit, what with the busyness of school starting and coaching soccer and everything else that life threw at me. I didn’t always make it through all four sections each day, but I tried to at least cover the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. Unfortunately, by the end of September, I realized I had missed almost an entire week.

Now, what brought me to that realization is one of those things that shows the humor of God, I suppose, because it was a bout of… shall we say “stomach distress” that left me spending a whole lot of time in said bathroom. So much, in fact, I was all caught up on my reading by the end of that evening. Funny thing…

And then in October our family entered one of those storms of life that tends to either draw you closer to God, or make you curse Him. While I knew the daily scripture reading would only serve to bolster my faith and stamina in such a trial, I felt physically and emotionally drained and had a hard time following through for those initial few weeks.

Now that the six-month-mark has hit, I’ve made a renewed effort to read every day. And like a lot of us who are struggling with the curve balls of life, I’m finding a huge benefit in focusing on reading from Psalms each day. This collection of 150 songs and prayers seems to paint a truly vivid picture of the faith of early Christians, more so than any other book in the Bible. When I read these verses, I cannot help but feel both the joy and sorrow of the writers, which personalizes my faith and causes me to identify with them. As such, it seems particularly fitting that Christian counselors and pastors often suggest we read through Psalms whenever we’re dealing with particularly difficult times in life.

Fast-forward to a few days ago, when I reached Psalm 121. The night before had been especially trying. I hadn’t slept much, and spent a lot of time begging for God’s peace as I tossed and turned. Morning comes, and I pick up my One Year Bible to read:

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Even as I sleep (or try to), He’s protecting me and my family. That’s like having a 24-hr guard posted outside your house, who chugs energy drinks all day and night to stay alert (but never crashes)… only better.

I already knew this, but reading it again – at just the right moment – helped give me that peace I so desperately sought. And so I keep on keeping on…