Years ago, while my husband was serving God’s church in Rural Iowa, we had a large wall hanging created by a local artist. It displayed a Bible verse that deeply shaped our lives during that season:
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” — John 4:34
The artwork hung in our kitchen behind our table, reminding us daily that serving God nourishes the soul. As we partnered with Him in ministry, we ourselves were being spiritually fed.
Today, in a smaller home and a different town, that painting sits quietly in our basement. But the truth behind it remains alive in my heart: we are fed not only by doing God’s will, but by consuming His Word.
When You Lose Your Hunger for God’s Word
I’ll be honest. There have been seasons when I wasn’t hungry for Scripture.
Sometimes reading the Bible felt exciting and life-giving. Other times, it felt more like a chore than a relationship. During those dry seasons, I often prayed:
“God, make me hungry for Your Word again… just please, maybe without too much pain.”
I don’t believe God causes destructive things. I may not fully understand suffering, but I trust His heart is good and full of hope for us (Jeremiah 29:11).
Still, one painful season completely changed my relationship with daily Bible reading.
The Illness That Changed Everything
It started with a broken tooth.
Thirty hours later, I was temporarily paralyzed.
I immediately knew something was seriously wrong and believed it was connected to the tooth, but no one believed me. Doctors diagnosed me with a slipped disk and even suggested I had suddenly developed an anxiety disorder.
Meanwhile, my husband had to spoon-feed me because I couldn’t move properly. I woke myself from sleep screaming in pain. My limbs spasmed uncontrollably. Moving my head caused my entire body to react. Sometimes I passed out from the pain.
This went on for nearly three months.
Then finally came the diagnosis:
A life-threatening spinal infection caused by bacteria originating in my mouth.
At last, there was an explanation.
But by then, I realized something else too: spiritually, I was starving.
Why Daily Bible Reading Matters
Before my illness, I had neglected regular Bible reading. I opened Scripture here and there, but I wasn’t consistently feeding myself spiritually.
Then suddenly, lying in bed unable to move or lift my head, I realized something devastating:
I couldn’t physically read my Bible.
I cried harder over that than almost anything else.
I could leave the TV on and binge-watch The Office for hours, but I couldn’t access God’s Word whenever I needed it. I hadn’t memorized much Scripture either.
For the first time in my life, I truly felt spiritual hunger.
And I never wanted to feel that starving again.
Rediscovering Joy in Reading the Bible
As I slowly recovered, one moment stands out vividly in my memory.
Someone had placed my Bible open on a raised counter because I still couldn’t lift it. The first time I was able to read Scripture again, I felt overwhelming joy and gratitude.
That day, I made a promise to myself:
Never take God’s Word for granted again.
I thought about my grandparents, who faithfully read the Bible together every single day. They followed a plan that helped them read through the entire Bible every year.
I had tried Bible reading plans before, but many felt restrictive and overly structured for my personality. I tend to learn in a less organized, more flexible way.
So I created my own simple Bible reading guide.
A Simple Bible Reading Plan That Actually Worked for Me
I made a document listing every book of the Bible with each chapter number underneath it:
Genesis 1, 2, 3, 4…
This allowed me to read however I wanted. I could read Genesis 1 and 2, jump over to John 1 and 2, and still easily track what I had completed.
What surprised me most was how motivating it became.
There’s something encouraging about visually seeing how much Scripture you’ve already read and how much remains ahead.
If you read just four chapters a day, you can finish the entire Bible in about one year.
And every year, you’ll discover something new.
You’ll read a passage and suddenly think:
“Wow… I never noticed that before.”
That must be what kept my grandparents coming back to Scripture year after year.
And now I understand why.
Four Chapters a Day Can Change Your Life
Four chapters sounds intimidating until you break it down:
- Two chapters after breakfast
- Two chapters before bed
That’s it.
Leaving your Bible open on the kitchen table makes it even easier to stay consistent.
If I can binge-watch sitcoms, I can certainly make time for the Word of God.
Because Scripture keeps us spiritually fed. It strengthens us during hard seasons and anchors us during good ones. It brings wisdom, hope, courage, and peace.
Daily Bible reading truly changes us from the inside out.
Download the Free Bible Reading Guide
If you’d like a flexible Bible reading tracker like the one I created, you can download it for free here:
