How to Read and Understand the Bible in One Year

Have you ever attempted to read the entire Bible in one year but never seem to stick with the plan? Or, maybe you’re just trying to read the Bible and actually understand what you are reading.

I know I sure have struggled with these two things. After a couple of weeks, I always seem to be lost, confused, and back to square one.

The habit is hard to get into and while you always start with the best intentions, it never seems to actually happen. I finally found a resource that makes staying on track easy and helps you understand what you are reading.

Maybe your New Year’s resolution was to read the entire Bible in a year. Or maybe it’s mid June and you’ve decided now is the time.

Whatever the case, if you’re looking to read the Bible more and understand it, today I am sharing a resource that is super helpful! This is the easiest way to read the entire Bible in one year without feeling overwhelmed or lost.

Even if you have tried many other devotional books or one year reading plans in the past, I would bet this Bible study guide is different.

Whether you’re one of those seasoned bible readers or it’s your first time opening the book, you’ll love this helpful resource for daily readings.

It’s the full story of the Bible in an easy to digest way! You’ll get through all of the books of the Bible with this simple daily reading plan. (At the time of writing this, I am personally about half way through!).

How Much of the Bible Do You Read Per Day?

For the average reader, it would take about 20 minutes a day to read the entire Bible in a year! This averages out to 3-5 chapters per day. Not a huge number of pages when you think about it per day.

In this reading plan, I have found this very spot on. In addition to the Bible reading, you’ll be either watching a 5-8 minute video or reading an additional 5 minutes or so from The Bible Recap book. All in all I’d set aside about 25 minutes each day for this.

In What Order Do You Read the Bible?

Did you know the Bible is not completely in chronological order? What?! Yeah, I sure didn’t. In this Bible reading plan, you are reading in a chronological reading format so that EVERYTHING is in the proper timeline.

It makes it so much easier to get the big picture once you understand that!

For example, the book of Job actually happened during the time of the book of Genesis so mid way through the very first book of the Bible we pause, jump into Job, then hop back to finish Genesis afterwards.

While chronological plans may not be the traditional daily Bible reading format you’re used to, it is a great way to approach things.

The best part about this daily Bible reading plan though is that you do NOT need to buy one of the specialty one year chronological study Bible options. You can just use whichever Bible you already have for your daily Bible reading.

How Do I Read the Bible in One Year?

So, the big question. How are we going to do this? Well, if you have never heard of The Bible Recap by Tara-Leigh Cobble then listen up. The best way to read the Bible in one year (in my opinion) is through The Bible Recap program!

I’m sharing my honest review but also tips on how I’ve found it most helpful (especially for those more difficult passages).

The Bible Recap is an entire brand with multiple things to explore so you can definitely check out the website for more resources.

How Does The Bible Recap Work?

The Bible Recap is a chronological reading plan of the Bible to help you have a deeper understanding of the scriptures by providing short, 5-8 minute daily videos to correspond with your daily Bible reading. Or, you can select to purchase the hardback guide if you prefer.

I started my watching the daily youtube videos after reading the daily passages, but have switched to reading the information in the hardback guide instead.

Tara-Leigh will help you understand God’s character in each day’s passage and the events of the Bible in both the actual passage you are reading and how it plays a part in the entire narrative of the Bible.

The video or hardback book recap explain what you just read in the Bible which is super helpful.

Step by Step for How to Use This Resource

Let me explain how to use this program for regular Bible reading!

I would recommend going to the “start” page which I will link here. I skipped Step #1 because I don’t want to actually read digitally, so I won’t be using a Bible app.

If you would prefer to read the Bible from your phone versus the actual physical book form, you can look into these options. If you are going to be reading straight from a physical copy then no need to confuse yourself with all the information on how to read online.

Personally, I’d just click straight on Step #2. This step has 6 prep episodes you can either listen to in the Podcast app or watch on Youtube. I like watching, so the first thing to do when getting your plan together on how you are going to read the Bible in a year is to watch the prep videos.

Step #3 is to start! See how easy that was. Really all you need to do is watch the prep videos and dive in.

You DON’T need to buy anything, get some fancy schedule, or create some mega outline for yourself. Now I’ll explain how to actually start!

There are 365 episodes of The Bible Recap (one for each day of the year) you will watch or listen to (or read from the hardback study book).

I like that it is formatted by day and not date. For example, Day 1, Day 1, Day 3, etc. instead of January 1st, January 2nd, etc.

Sometimes you might need to skip a day (or two) and some days you might feel like doing extra. With plans that had passages assigned to “dates” you get all confused when you miss a day or when you want to keep reading and work ahead of schedule because it throws everything off with the dates. It was hard to find my own pace.

I can much easier keep track of my bible reading if I think of it in numbers rather than dates so this is a perk to this plan. I think of them like “lessons” so I don’t really keep up with what “day” I am supposed to be on. I just know that today will be lesson 20 for instance (day 20) even if it is technically my 15th or 25th day going through this.

Now yes, this might mean it takes you longer than a year or it might only take you 9 months. I don’t think finishing exactly on December 31st is the point. The point is just to finish.

So what is the actual plan? The plan is simple – each day you open up the Podcast app or Youtube and search for what day you are on. For example “The Bible Recap Day 15”. The TITLE of the episode will give you a passage.

For instance, a title of the Youtube video might be “Day 008 (Job 17-20)”. So, now it’s time to read Job 17-20. Simple enough. Then, press play and listen to the 8 minute audio of Tara-Leigh recapping, explaining, and giving thoughts about what you just read.

My Daily Routine

There are multiple different ways to do this. You can buy the study guide hardcover book and just read the recap each day if you are a visual learner and don’t want to listen to a Podcast or Youtube. This is the method I have switched to because I prefer time away from technology completely.

The Bible Recap book is a great choice! You can even get the Bible Recap Journal if you like to take study notes on your own thoughts.

You can also print out their free chart where you cross off the days as you go and keep track of your progress.

Having that video or insert from the book to explain everything at the end of reading each days passages is what truly keeps you interested and what makes for easier reading.

Especially for those old testament readings where you might get a bit confused, it’s a life saver!

Now, it should go without saying but Tara-Leigh herself is not God so you shouldn’t just go based off what she is saying or blindly follow her. I think of her more as a guide, but ultimately you may see different things in the readings, understand it a different way, or straight up disagree.

The important part here is actually reading the Bible for yourself and seeing what YOU learn. She’s just there to help (although I do think everything she says so far at least is pretty accurate and aligns with the word).

The Bible Recap Resources

Here is a direct link to the youtube page where you can find EVERYTHING for each day’s recap. The prep videos and all 365 daily videos to watch! Don’t forget to do the daily scripture readings that correspond to each video.

Here is a direct link to the episodes through Apple Podcasts if you prefer to just listen as you drive vs. sitting down to watch a Youtube video. A lot of people listen on their way to work after reading at home. However, it’s best to try and listen without too many distractions. Especially for those Old Testament reading parts!

Here is a direct link to the store where you can look at the different books like The Bible Recap study guide, apparel, and more. These might be great if you do this in a small group bible study or church study group.

Here is a direct link to all of the books she has available. There are kids books and various other reads available. The journal is nice if you want to write down your daily reflections and “today’s God shot” while going through the different parts of the Bible. Each day will have a daily Bible study page available for you to mark notes.

(There is also bible translation options available for ASL and Spanish!)

Is it Possible to Read the Whole Bible?

Yes! Many people successfully read the entire Bible in one year. It is possible. Especially if you consider using this trusted guide, I think you’ll find it easier than you think. It might be a good idea to have a buddy you do the bible study together with.

If you are still too intimidated to commit to the entire thing, there is a 3 month New Testament readings option available, too. That’s a great way to explore a new testament passage before diving into the whole thing. After you finish the new testament bible reading plan I’m sure you’ll want to continue with the entire book!

Conclusion

If you have been interested in reading the entire Bible in one year (or just in general) The Bible Recap is a great resource to use for a deeper understanding of the scriptures. Even just for reading certain sections of the bible that are confusing it can be useful. It is very helpful and can truly make a difference in understanding what you read. If you’re looking to understand way more than you have before in the Bible, this is a great place to start!

Tara-Leigh is the host of The Bible Recap podcast and does an awesome job helping people read and understand God’s word. As the host of the popular podcast, she has dedicated herself to putting out daily content to help and inspire others. An interesting fact is that he is also the founder of d-group if you are familiar with that!