The M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plan: Read Through the Bible in One Year

In 1842, Robert Murray M’Cheyne—a young Scottish minister known for his deep devotion to Christ and tender care for his congregation—compiled this Bible reading schedule with one simple aim: to help God’s people feed daily on His Word. M’Cheyne understood that steady, prayerful reading of Scripture was essential for spiritual health, and he designed this plan to guide believers through the entire Bible in a year.

The M’Cheyne Plan assigns four chapters each day:

• Two for Family Reading – passages to be read together in the home, uniting households around God’s Word.

• Two for Private (“Secret”) Reading – passages for personal meditation, prayer, and communion with the Lord.

Following this plan, you will read the Old Testament once and the New Testament and Psalms twice every year. Each day’s readings are drawn from different parts of the Bible, giving you a balanced “diet” of Scripture: Old Testament history and prophecy, New Testament Gospels and letters, and the Psalms. This variety reveals the unity of God’s Word, helping you see the threads of His redemptive plan woven from Genesis to Revelation.

M’Cheyne himself encouraged flexibility. For those new to daily Bible reading, the plan can be followed at half pace—reading only the Family or only the Private readings—completing the Bible in two years instead of one. Whether used individually, in families, or by entire congregations, this plan invites believers to walk together through the whole counsel of God.

The passages you will read are not merely a schedule to keep but food for the soul. As you begin, pray for the Spirit’s help to read with faith, humility, and delight, remembering M’Cheyne’s own words:

“It is the Spirit alone who can apply the word to the heart with saving power. Let us never take up the word without looking up to God.”

May this plan lead you, day by day, into deeper fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ and greater love for His Word.