Reading the Bible with New Eyes: Discovering God's Big Story

Let’s have a little fun! See how many of these Bible facts you know.

1. How many books make up the Bible?
2. Approximately how many years did it take to write the Bible?
3. How many different authors contributed to the Bible?
4. In how many languages was the Bible originally written in?

Answers: 66 books, approximately 1,500 years, about 40 authors, and three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.

Pretty amazing, isn’t it? Authors from different backgrounds, living in different places, over a span of approximately 1,500 years.

In his book Epic, James Nicodem describes the Bible as a “single, overarching, comprehensive storyline. A storyline that amazingly ties the whole book together, from Genesis to Revelation.”

And what is that storyline? Redemption. The entire Bible is one big rescue story.

People sinned. Our relationship with God was broken. And we needed a Savior.

This gives me chills! All those books, chapters, verses, and characters, written across hundreds of years, yet one story pointing us to God’s plan to rescue us.

Reading the Bible from Cover to Cover

About 20 years ago, I read through the entire Bible using the Daily Walk Bible. It was the first time I had ever read the Bible from cover to cover.

The daily overview and insights before each reading helped me understand what I was reading and how it fit into the bigger picture. I still think of that experience as one of the most powerful quiet time seasons I’ve had.

That experience left me wanting to go deeper. I wanted to understand how the stories in the different books of the Bible fit together.

Many of us know that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John tell many of the same stories about Jesus. But did you know that the events in the book of Job are often placed in the patriarchal period described in Genesis? Or that portions of 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Jeremiah, and Zephaniah cover overlapping periods of history?

The Bible isn’t arranged as one continuous timeline of events. Understanding how the pieces fit together can give us a whole new perspective!

A Chronological Bible Study

Eight years ago, I created a One Year Chronological study focusing on key chapters of the Bible. I wanted to help people see how the major events of Scripture fit together without getting bogged down in the amount of reading. Focusing on key chapters also allowed more time to dig deeper into what was being read. I loved doing this!

A few weeks ago, I was asked to review the One Year Chronological Bible. Instead of reading just the key chapters, this Bible includes the entire text in 365 daily readings arranged in the order the events occurred.

It felt like a beautiful combination of what I loved about my original Bible-reading experience and a deeper dive into what I learned next,

So, I started reading the One Year Chronological Bible! And friends, I am loving it.

Almost every day, I tell my husband or kids something I’ve forgotten or something I’ve discovered for the first time in my reading.

I’m reading Genesis with new eyes.

That is what excites me most. I’m not just checking off another day’s reading. I’m seeing connections, noticing details, and gaining a better understanding of how God’s story unfolds.

What I Love About the One-Year Chronological Bible

Here are a few things I’ve appreciated as I’ve started using The One Year Chronological Bible.

1. Daily readings that feel manageable

The 365 daily readings take approximately 15 minutes to read. Think about that for a moment. Fifteen minutes is about 1% of your day! That’s a small investment of time for an opportunity to grow in your understanding of who God is and what God does.

2. Multiple Bible translations

I chose the New Living Translation, but other translations are available. I’ve found that a more understandable translation can be especially helpful when reading large portions of Scripture straight through. My goal is to understand the story and see how the pieces fit together instead of focusing on individual verses.

3. Scripture woven together chronologically

This is one of my favorite features! I might be reading in Genesis and suddenly find a passage from 1 Chronicles woven into the reading to provide a related account. Instead of treating each book as a separate piece, I’m seeing how the stories connect.

4. A simple format for daily Quiet Time

I use this Bible as a daily devotional reading resource rather than for in-depth Bible study. The softcover format works well for daily reading. It focuses on helping you follow the unfolding story of Scripture, rather than providing extensive explanations or commentary. When I want to dig deeper, I turn to additional study resources.

5. Dated readings suggestions

The readings are dated January 1 through December 31, but I started in October! I simply use a bookmark to keep my place. Please don’t feel like you have to wait until January 1 to begin reading the Bible. Start today. You can always adjust your pace as needed.

The Bible Is More Than a Book of Stories

Friends, this is why I get so excited about reading God’s Word.

The Bible isn’t simply a collection of rules, history, poetry, and stories about people who lived long ago. It reveals God’s character and His plan to redeem His people through Jesus.

God isn’t some far-off, eternal being who has no interest in us. He isn’t a dictator, and He’s certainly not dead!

He is a God who loves us and invites us into a relationship with Him. A God we can call Father.

Let me say that again, “He is a God we can call Father.

That is the heart behind the entire rescue story.

From the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation, we see God’s plan unfolding. And when we begin to recognize how the pieces fit together, we can better understand the incredible story we have the privilege of being part of.

If you’ve never read the entire Bible, or if you’ve read it before but want to understand how the stories connect, the resources I’ve shared above are wonderful places to start.

And if you’re unsure how to begin a daily Quiet Time, I’ve written a free ebook to help! Read A Quiet Time, Worth the Time to learn how to get started.

You don’t have to know everything about the Bible to begin. Just open God’s Word, spend time with Him, and keep coming back.

You might be surprised by what you discover! I’d love hear all about it!