How to get back into reading the Bible (a 7-day restart plan)
How to get back into reading the Bible after a long break: a 7-day restart plan with short KJV readings, about 3 minutes each, and what to read next.
In this article
To get back into reading the Bible, start small and start this week: one short chapter a day, at a fixed time, for seven days. Pick passages about coming back (Luke 15, Psalm 103, John 21), skip the guilt about the gap, and only then choose a longer plan, such as one Gospel at two chapters a day.
The hardest part of coming back isn't the reading. It's the weight of everything you didn't read. Months or years of silence can make the first page feel like an exam you didn't study for.
So this guide is built to make day one easy. Below you'll find a 7-day restart with real passages and exact reading times, what to do in week two, and the mistakes that usually end a comeback before it starts.
Why coming back feels so hard
People stop reading the Bible for ordinary reasons. A new job, a baby, finals, a move, a season of doubt, a plan that got too heavy in Leviticus. None of those are unusual, and none of them disqualify you from opening the book again.
What makes the restart hard is usually one of three things:
- The gap feels like debt. You think you have to "make up" for the months you missed. You don't. There's no balance to pay off.
- The goal is too big. "I'm going to read the whole Bible this year" is a fine goal for later. As a first step after a long break, it's a setup for quitting by week three.
- You don't know where to start. Opening at random often lands you in a genealogy or a vision of wheels within wheels. That's discouraging if you're already unsure.
Scripture is full of people coming back. One of the most striking is King Josiah. In his day, the book of the law had been neglected for so long that it had to be found again in the temple:
And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord. And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
Josiah's response wasn't to despair about the lost years. He read it, took it seriously and acted on it. You can read the whole account in our story of Josiah finding the book of the law.
The 7-day restart plan
Each day has one short reading and one question. The reading times below are based on word counts of the KJV text in our app and an average adult silent reading speed of about 238 words per minute, from a 2019 review by Marc Brysbaert. Reading aloud or slowly will take longer, and that's fine.
| Day | Reading (KJV) | Verses | Reading time | Why this passage | One question to ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luke 15 | 32 | about 3 min | Three stories of lost things found, ending with the prodigal son | What does the father do when the son is still far off? |
| 2 | Psalm 103 | 22 | about 1.5 min | David's list of what God forgives and heals | Which line in this psalm do I most need to hear today? |
| 3 | Mark 1 | 45 | about 4 min | The fastest-moving start to the life of Jesus | What did people notice first about Jesus? |
| 4 | John 21 | 25 | about 3 min | Peter, who denied Jesus, is restored by the lake | Why might Jesus ask Peter the same question three times? |
| 5 | Isaiah 40 | 31 | about 3.5 min | Comfort for tired people, ending with "renew their strength" | Where in my life do I feel "faint" right now? |
| 6 | Romans 8 | 39 | about 4 min | "No condemnation" and nothing can separate us from God's love | What does verse 1 say about my past? |
| 7 | Psalm 1 | 6 | under 1 min | A picture of a life rooted in God's word | What will my "planted by the rivers" habit look like next week? |
The whole week is about 20 minutes of reading in total. If you have more time, reread the day's chapter slowly instead of adding new ones. The point of week one is to prove to yourself that you can show up, not to cover ground.
If you'd like a reminder, a calendar and a streak to carry you through the week, the app's reading plan can do that.
Day by day: what to look for
Day 1: Luke 15
Jesus tells three stories in a row: a lost sheep, a lost coin, a lost son. Each one ends in a party. The third is the one most people remember, and it's hard to read it after a long time away without noticing this verse:
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
The son rehearsed a speech. The father ran before he could finish it. If you want to go further, our page on the parable of the prodigal son walks through the story and its older brother, who is easy to forget.
Day 2: Psalm 103
This is a psalm to read slowly. It's short (22 verses) and almost every line is about what God does with our failures.
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Day 3: Mark 1
Mark is the shortest Gospel and moves fast. The word "straightway" (meaning "immediately") shows up again and again in the KJV. In one chapter Jesus is baptized, tempted, calls fishermen, heals the sick and goes off alone to pray. It's a good reminder of who you're coming back to.
Day 4: John 21
Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times. Here, by the Sea of Tiberias, Jesus asks him three times, "lovest thou me?" and gives him work to do each time.
So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Peter wasn't sidelined for failing. He was recommissioned. Our story page Lovest thou me? Peter restored covers the scene in more detail.
Day 5: Isaiah 40
Isaiah 40 opens with "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people" and ends with one of the most quoted lines in the Old Testament, Isaiah 40:31, about those who "wait upon the Lord" renewing their strength. It's a good chapter for anyone who stopped reading because life simply wore them out.
Day 6: Romans 8
This is the longest reading of the week and one of the richest chapters Paul ever wrote. Start with verse 1 and end with verses 38 and 39. If the middle feels dense, that's normal. You'll come back to Romans many times.
Day 7: Psalm 1
Six verses. A tree planted by water, bearing fruit "in his season." Use today to decide what week two looks like. Psalm 1 doesn't describe someone who read a lot once. It describes someone rooted in God's word over time.
Quick quiz: Mark
Where do the four men lower the paralytic down to Jesus?
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, “they uncovered the roof where he was,” and let down the bed through the opening. Mark 2:3–4
What name does the unclean spirit in the country of the Gadarenes give?
Asked by Jesus, he answers: “My name is Legion: for we are many.” Mark 5:9
How much does the poor widow put into the temple treasury?
“She threw in two mites, which make a farthing”: all that she had, even all her living. Mark 12:42–44
There are many more questions like these in Bible Academy, each with its explanation and verse. Start free, no card needed.
Week two: choose one book, not the whole Bible
Once you've finished the restart, the temptation is to jump straight into a one-year plan. Wait one more step. Read a single book first, all the way through, so your first "finish" comes quickly.
Good options for week two and beyond:
| Book | Chapters | Reading time (KJV, silent) | At 2 chapters a day | Good if you want |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark | 16 | about 64 minutes | 8 days | The life of Jesus, fast |
| John | 21 | about 80 minutes | 11 days | Who Jesus is, in his own words |
| James | 5 | about 10 minutes | 3 days | Practical wisdom for daily life |
| Philippians | 4 | about 9 minutes | 2 days | Joy and contentment in hard times |
| Genesis | 50 | about 2 hours 40 minutes | 25 days | Where the whole story begins |
Mark is our default suggestion. You can read the book of Mark summary first to see its shape, then read two chapters a day, and finish in just over a week. When you're done, test yourself with the Mark quiz. It's a good way to see that the reading actually stuck.
For more ideas, see where to start reading the Bible, which picks a starting book by goal, or the Bible reading plan for beginners if you want something structured for the next month.
How to make the restart stick
A comeback lasts when it's easy to repeat. A few habits make a real difference:
- Pick one time and place. "After I pour my coffee, at the kitchen table" beats "in the morning." The more specific, the better.
- Keep the Bible where you'll see it. A paper Bible on the table, or the app on your home screen instead of in a folder.
- Make the goal small enough for a bad day. One chapter is enough. On your worst day, one psalm is enough.
- Decide now what happens after a miss. A simple rule: never miss two days in a row. Missing one day is normal; the second day is where habits break. If you do slip, our guide for when you've fallen behind on a Bible reading plan shows how to catch up without starting from zero.
- Ask one question each time. The questions in the table above are enough. Reading with a question keeps your mind on the text instead of on your to-do list.
- Tell one person. A friend, spouse or small group member. You're not asking for supervision, just company.
Nehemiah 8 describes a crowd hearing Scripture read and explained after the return from exile. They wept, and they were told not to, because "the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). Coming back to the Bible can carry some grief about lost time. It's also meant to be joyful.
Mistakes that end a comeback early
- Starting with a 365-day plan on day one. A full-Bible plan is about 3.26 chapters a day. That's great later, but heavy right after a long break.
- Reading only to feel better about yourself. If the reading becomes a way to prove you're "back on track," a missed day feels like failure. Read to know God, not to score points.
- Opening at random. It works now and then, but it's a hard way to build understanding. A book read in order gives you the story and the context.
- Never checking what you remember. If nothing sticks, reading starts to feel pointless. A two-minute recall check ("what happened, what did it say about God?") or a short quiz fixes that. Our guide on how to remember what you read in the Bible explains why testing yourself works better than rereading.
- Waiting for the "right" season. There's no better time than an ordinary Tuesday.
Where Bible Academy fits
You don't need an app to come back to the Bible. A paper Bible and this page are enough for the first week.
If you want structure after that, here's what Bible Academy offers. You choose a reading plan pace of 1 to 5 chapters a day, and you see your calendar, your streak and your progress across all 66 books. Each reading ends with a short quiz, and every quiz answer is explained with the verse it comes from. You can read in the KJV or the ASV, offline, with highlights and notes. Before a new book, you can watch the free BibleProject overview video for that book, so you know the big picture before chapter 1.
When you're ready to move from a one-week restart to a longer plan, start with a pace you can keep on your busiest day.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start reading the Bible again after a long break?
Start with one short chapter a day for one week, at a fixed time you already have, like your morning coffee. Choose passages about returning to God, such as Luke 15, Psalm 103 and John 21. After a week, read one whole book, like Mark at two chapters a day. Only then move to a longer plan. Small, repeatable steps beat a big plan you can't keep.
Should I start over at Genesis or pick up where I left off?
If you remember where you stopped and liked that book, pick up there. If you don't, don't force it. A fresh start with a short, clear book like Mark or John is usually easier than returning to the middle of Numbers or Jeremiah. You can come back to a full read-through later. Reading something this week matters more than the starting point.
How long should I read the Bible each day when I'm restarting?
Five to ten minutes is plenty. In the KJV, an average chapter is about 665 words, which takes just under 3 minutes to read silently at an average adult pace. One chapter plus a minute to think about a single question is a realistic daily goal. You can increase it once the habit feels automatic, usually after a few weeks.
What if I feel guilty about not reading the Bible for so long?
Guilt is a poor motivator for a daily habit, and Scripture doesn't ask you to pay off lost time. Luke 15 shows a father running to meet a son who had wasted everything, and John 21 shows Jesus restoring Peter after his denial. Acknowledge the gap honestly, then read today. The reading itself is the answer to the gap.
What's the best book of the Bible to read when coming back?
Mark is a strong choice: 16 chapters, about an hour of total reading in the KJV, focused entirely on Jesus. The Psalms are good for short daily readings, and James or Philippians work if you want practical, short letters. Pick one book and read it all the way through so you get a quick, real sense of finishing.