One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible - Flipbook - Page 13
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THE ONE YEAR BIBLE user’s guide
includes the text we just divided in Practice 5 might read, “The Lord is Susan’s shepherd.
Susan has all that she needs.” You might also personalize it this way for a friend, your spouse,
or your children.
Practice 7—Pray It: Many passages are helpful for guiding our prayers. They remind us of
what is true and what is important to God. We can use these reminders as prayer prompts.
Again, take the verse we looked at from Psalm 23. It might inspire a prayer like this: “Lord,
you have reminded me that you are my Shepherd and that you can provide all that I need.
As one of your sheep, I confess that I often don’t follow you very closely. I’m often one of the
lost sheep—one of those you need to search for in stormy weather and carry home. I can see
that if I followed you more closely, I’d also be much closer to all that you have to offer me.
The unmet needs I’m always complaining about would be better met if I just stayed near to
my Shepherd. And I suppose sometimes I wander away looking to satisfy my wants rather
than my real needs. Dear Shepherd, help me to stay close to your loving care and protection.
Forgive my tendency to wander. Amen.”
Practice 8—Memorize It: Putting Scripture to memory is the likely result of many of these
other practices. For many of us, if we copy or read a verse again and again, we will soon know
it by heart. To begin memorizing a text, repeating it is the best place to start. Read or copy a
text three times a day for an entire month and then begin to recite it aloud for yourself on a
regular basis. Then, if the appropriate opportunity arises, recite it for others. (Remember to
learn the reference, too, so you can more easily locate it.) The psalm writer reminds us of why
Scripture memorization is so important: “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not
sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).
Practice 9—Share It: God’s Word is good news, whether it comes in a story or parable, an
account of one of Jesus’ miracles, a psalm of praise, a promise of hope, or a wise proverb. When
you’ve read something helpful, thought provoking, or inspiring, share it. As you do, you’ll find
that the message becomes more real for you too. If it’s a story, retell it to someone in your own
words. Try to capture all the details. If it’s a short promise or proverb, email it to a friend, post it
on an announcement board or refrigerator, carve it into a piece of wood to hang on a wall, bring
it up for discussion with friends over coffee, or tweet it for anyone who might be watching. If
you’ve heard from God and it means something to you, take the time to share it.
Practice 10—Live It: It’s not just important to read and listen to God’s Word. We also need to
find ways to put it into practice. (Keeping this in mind as you read will also help you to focus.)
We are reminded of this in the book of James: “Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what
it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves” (James 1:22). As you reflect on God’s Word,
conclude your time by thinking up ways to live it out. What can you put into action today?
Other Ways to Use the One-Year Reading Plan
Though The One Year Bible has led millions of readers through the Bible in one year, its
arrangement is equally useful for guiding you through the Bible in two years, or even longer.
If you feel too rushed or want to spend more time on each day’s selections, here are a few other
suggestions:
The Split One-Year Plan. Schedule time in both the morning and evening. Read the New
Testament and Psalms selections in the morning and the Old Testament and Proverbs selections in the evening.
