How to Start Reading the Bible When It Feels Overwhelming
New to the Bible or coming back after years away? A simple, no-pressure plan for where to start reading and how to keep going when it feels overwhelming.
When you are overwhelmed, do not try to read the Bible in big chunks. Start with a single Psalm or a few verses, read slowly, and let one line be enough. Passages like Psalm 46, Matthew 11:28-30 and Philippians 4:6-7 meet you where you are — the goal is presence with God, not volume.
The Bible is long, old, and not arranged in the order things happened — so opening to page one and trying to read straight through is how most people stall out somewhere in the second half of Exodus. If you've felt that, you're not failing. You've just been handed the wrong starting point. Here's a gentler way in.
Don't start at the beginning
Start with the Gospel of John or the Gospel of Mark. They tell the story of Jesus directly, in plain narrative, and they're the heart the rest of the Bible points toward. Mark is fast and vivid; John is reflective. Either is a far better first step than Genesis-to-Revelation.
Read small, read slowly
A chapter — or even half a chapter — a day is plenty. This isn't a race to finish; it's a conversation to begin. After each short reading, sit with one question: what does this show me about God, or about myself? One honest thought beats ten skimmed pages.
Use a plan so you don't have to decide
Decision fatigue kills habits. A simple reading plan removes the daily "where do I even start?" — you just open and read the next bit. Good starter plans: the Sermon on the Mount, the Life of Jesus, or the Psalms when you want comfort over narrative.
Expect to not understand everything
You won't, and that's normal — people spend lifetimes here. Keep a note of questions rather than letting them stop you. Confusion isn't a sign you're doing it wrong; it's a sign you're actually reading.
Make it the same time each day
Habits attach to anchors. Tie your reading to something you already do — the first coffee, the commute, the last few minutes before sleep. Five faithful minutes daily will take you far further than an ambitious hour you manage twice.
A companion for the journey
If you'd like a hand, North Star offers structured reading plans across four depth levels and a daily devotional personalised to where you are in your faith — so each day you open it, there's a next step waiting and a warm reflection to help it land. However you begin, begin small, begin today, and let it grow.