Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.
Deuteronomy 8:2-3
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
When I was pregnant with Ana Lia, I had heard how challenging the newborn period can be and was considering how to keep my quiet times regular with a newborn (keeping in mind I was never really a “baby person,” so I had no idea how I was going to take care of an actual human baby…). At the time I lived in a lot of fear; I had undiagnosed pre-natal anxiety, and it made functioning on a daily basis hard. I knew that if I approached my quiet times like I did under normal circumstances, usually with a plan for about a month at a time, I would quickly lose focus. Looking through my options for a longer term plan, I saw that there were several ways to read the Bible in 90 days. This seemed daunting but also straightforward enough that I wouldn’t have to do much preparation each day – just read the Bible, read the Bible A LOT.
I started about a week before Ana Lia was due. I have since learned that a week before my due date could have been too late since many babies come before that, but Ana Lia was one of the 5% of babies born exactly on her due date, so it worked out for us. Reading the Bible in 90 days requires reading 15-17 chapters a day. During the week before Ana Lia was born, I read 5-7 chapters in the morning during my normal quiet time, a few more at lunch time and then finished my reading either at dinner or before bed, depending on what the evening looked like. Reading the Bible was always on my mind.
Ana Lia was born on her due date after 36 hours of labor (you can read the whole story here), and thus began my journey of motherhood. I’m grateful I started my reading plan before she was born because it was easier to keep going in the same direction rather than try to start something new when my whole world had been flipped upside down. Thankfully, Ana Lia started nursing right away in the hospital and continued being a champ until she weaned almost three years later. Nursing became the best time for me to read my assigned chapters for the day. It was the one time I was almost always alone, and I was stuck in one, usually very comfortable spot, for 20-30 minutes.
My favorite time to read was the 2am feeding, as strange as that sounds. We always have a busy house, and this was one of the only times when everything was silent. I would go to bed with her between 9-10pm, so when 2 am came around, I had a good chunk of sleep and could read easily in the quiet of the night. I used the YouVersion app on my phone because it had a 90 day plan and kept up with where I was. I found it easier to read from my phone while I was nursing than to hold a physical book. It also kept me from mindlessly scrolling through social media for the 3-4 hours I spent nursing or pumping every day.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7
I was constantly washed in the Word during a time that could have been filled with stress and overwhelm. I only had about two weeks of maternity leave from my job at the time. I worked within walking distance of my house though, so I could go home and nurse her at lunch time. But I started a brand new job when Ana Lia was five weeks old, and this job was a 25 minute drive. Everything was in upheaval. But I was reading the Bible all day every day. It gave me the peace that passes understanding.
I also saw the Bible in a different way. Since I don’t usually read the Bible that quickly, the overarching story became much clearer. As I moved through the 90 days, it was easier to make connections between events that happened 40 or 50 chapters apart because I had read it only three days ago. I could see God’s sovereignty in a way I never had before. It was amazing to watch God work through Israel’s history, the judges and the kings, always pulling Israel back to Him, back to righteousness. Swiftly moving to the New Testament it was easy to see Jesus as the fulfillment of centuries of prophecy.
When I finished reading the whole Bible in around 90 days (I missed a few over the course of the three months), we were out of the newborn phase. Ana Lia was in regular sleep and eat patterns, and I had settled into my new job. I could go back to a more routine quiet time in the mornings, but I was so grateful for the spiritual strength I had built over those 90 days.
But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Romans 10:16-17
It was two years later when I read the Bible in 90 days again, and it was under much different circumstances. Ana Lia was about two years old, and Eliam was about eight months old. We were going through a hard time as a family, and my faith was very low. We were trying to stick it out a few more months in Denver until we could move to San Francisco, and every day seemed so hard. I remembered how much I had learned from reading the Bible straight through in three months, and I realized that would get me almost to our move. I convinced my roommate to do it with me so that we could grow stronger together.
Faith really does come from hearing the message. We were still hurting when we got to San Francisco, but my perspective changed, and I believed that we were there for a reason. I had faith that God could heal us, that we could get stronger. Before reading the Bible all day, every day for three months, I did not believe things would ever get better. I was hopeless about our future and our lives. My faith returned, even though our circumstances were largely the same. God doesn’t necessarily change what is going on around us, but He is more than willing to change what’s going on in our hearts. And that’s exactly what happened when I committed to being washed daily in His Word.
