Reading through the entire Bible is one of my favorite annual rituals. I do this to maintain my familiarity with the storyline of Scripture—particularly the Old Testament. But even though the goal of this reading is not to study or meditate (I do that at other times), I still desire to make the most of my time in God’s Word.
Last year, I considered writing summaries of my daily readings to reflect on and remember what I read. I was still musing on implementing it when I discovered 52 Weeks in the Word: A Companion for Reading Through the Bible in a Year by Trillia J. NewBell. It turned out to be precisely what I needed!
52 Weeks in the Word is a journal and guide for reading through the Bible in a year. Its purpose is not to help you study the Bible or write a detailed summary. It is an aid for a simple read-through of the Bible. It features a reading plan with daily Scripture readings, a day of rest/catchup, three daily reflection questions, prayer prompts, and a weekly reflection from a text from the previous reading.
The book design is gorgeous. Every week uses different color schemes and relevant illustrations. The layout is simple: two daily readings per page, three daily questions, and a prayer prompt.
Trillia had a brilliant idea with this book, and it accomplishes its purpose well. I love many things about this journal.
First, the reading plan features readings from one book at a time. I do my yearly reading through a customized semi-chronological/Hebrew order from Genesis to Revelation, so it is easy to adapt this book to my reading plan.
Second, I love the simple daily repetitive reflection questions. As stated earlier, the goal of this book is not to study the Bible. Therefore, the daily questions are not inductive questions personalized for each text. Every day features the same three questions: “What did you learn about God and His character?” “Where is Jesus in these chapters?” and “How might you apply these verses?” These questions are deep enough to make you reflect on the text without doing an intense study (unless you desire it).
And third, it is flexible. Though the idea is to read through 52 consecutive weeks from January to December, you can start anytime. You can also go at any pace. And since the reading plan is flexible, you can read from the Old Testament one day, and the New Testament the next day if you prefer reading from many books simultaneously.
Overall, 52 Weeks in a Word is an excellent resource for reading the Bible, and I highly recommend it! It accomplishes precisely its goal: to help us read through God’s Word so we can know, love, and enjoy Him. I have been using this book for the past two months, and it has blessed my daily readings.
*Moody Publishers graciously gave me a copy, and this is my honest review.*
I really wants to know,
How can I become a real christian,
And how can I know that I am ready christian??
I really appreciate you for making me to understand bible! How can I really get good understand from the bible??
Hi Abraham, thank you for reading the blog. To get better at understanding the Bible, keep reading! As they say, practice makes perfect. So keep reading, studying, and meditating on the Scripture, read some books on Biblical Hermeneutics, study Bibles, and commentaries, and above all keep praying for the Spirit to open your eyes that you may behold wondrous things from God’s Word.