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For a long time, I wanted to be someone who runs. Over the years, I’d watched several family members and friends lace up their running shoes, bound out of the house and down the road, and return sometime later looking sweaty but invigorated. I’d like to be that person, I thought. But I’d tried it once. Maybe twice. And running was not something I did. Perhaps you feel something similar about spending time in God’s word. You know of friends or family members who make a hot drink and withdraw to a quiet room with their Bible in the morning, and emerge, sometime later, looking serene but invigorated. I’d like to be that person, you think. You’ve tried it once or twice or even a whole bunch of times over the years—or perhaps it was something you used to do regularly, but now you’re out of the habit. Reading the Bible is not something you do.
But it can be.
If you’re hoping 2025 will be the year when you finally, actually, for-real-this-time establish a daily habit of reading the Bible, here are eight practical tips that will maximise your chances of success.
If you only read the Bible when the urge takes you, then—speaking for myself, at least—it’s not going to happen very often. Most of us will benefit from having a time and place set aside to do this. Consider what would be most helpful to you and make a plan. It might help to set an alarm or put it in your calendar the way you would with another appointment.
Plan what you’re going to read—perhaps a book of the Bible that’s always intrigued you or a devotional book that’s piqued your interest—and get it ready. Nothing is going to reduce your momentum more than spending half your time on day 1 flicking through your Bible, wondering where to begin!
Personally, one thing I find alarming at this time of year is articles comparing “the best Bible-in-a-year plan”. Suffice to say that it’s been a long time since I read the Bible in a year—and I certainly haven’t done it enough times to be making any comparisons. If that’s what you’re aiming for this year, all power to you! But if you’d prefer a more gradual approach, that’s okay too—especially if you’re just starting out. Something is better than nothing. I designed The Quiet Time Kickstart to start small and build up, while giving you tips and pointers on how to understand the Bible for yourself: like a Couch to 5k for your quiet time.
There is no one biblically mandated way of “having a quiet time”. Even the very concept of a quiet time is non-compulsory; thousands of believers throughout time and around the world who have had less access to the Bible than us have faithfully endured without one! So, don’t feel bound by what you perceive to be “what you’re meant to do”. Some people chomp through great chunks of Scripture; others meditate deeply on a single verse. Some people like to draw and journal; others seize up at the thought. Some will find it invigorating to pray while out walking; others want to meet with the Lord from the warmth and safety of their own bed. Some people love the structure of a devotional; others want to follow their interests. Anything that gets you into God’s word is probably going to be good—and sometimes it’s great to mix it up a bit!
If this is an area of repeated struggle for you, ask a couple of Christian friends to pray for you and give them permission to check in. You could even message someone right now: “I’m really trying to establish a habit of reading the Bible this year. Can you pray for me in that? And ask me next Sunday how it’s gone!”
Better yet, if you have a friend who also wants to grow in this area, why not suggest that you read the same thing? I have happy memories from a period of lockdown when I exchanged daily voice notes with a couple of friends as we read through books of the Bible chapter by chapter.
Consider if there is something that someone in your household could do to help you in this, and ask them. I remember how, years ago, my mum’s devotional life was transformed when she realised that it would genuinely really help her if my dad brought her a cup of tea in bed—otherwise, she would go downstairs and get distracted by all the jobs to be done around the house. My dad has lovingly obliged ever since!
Finally, but most importantly, pray. If this is an area where you want to change, it will need some change not just in your schedule but in your heart. And that’s something only the Spirit can do. So ask him to give you a deeper desire for, and a fresh delight in, his word.
Having spent years wanting to be someone who runs, a few summers ago, I finally downloaded the Couch to 5K app on my phone, chose my celebrity coach and got started. It wasn’t always fun, but it has been worth it. And it turns out that maintaining the habit is much easier than starting it in the first place.
It’s that same approach that inspired The Quiet Time Kickstart. But when it comes to reading the Bible, the rewards are far greater than better fitness or an improved ability to run for a bus. It’s simply a chance, day by day, to sit under your good Shepherd’s voice and hear how much he loves you. What could be better than that?
Rachel Jones is the author of A Brief Theology of Periods (Yes, Really), Is This It? and several books in the award-winning Five Things to Pray series, and serves as Vice President (Editorial) at The Good Book Company. She helps teach kids at her church, King's Church Chessington, in Surrey, UK.
