Hannibal Smith, the main character of the venerable TV show “The A-Team,” is famous for his quote, “I love it when a plan comes together.”  A similar sense of purpose happens frequently when following a “Read The Bible In A Year” program.  There are many good such frameworks out there; I like the ones where you concentrate on one book each day and don’t jump around so much.

The plan-comes-together part happens when this day’s reading makes reference to or sheds light on some other recent reading.  The gospels and epistles quote the Old Testament often, and sometimes you have just read the passage in Genesis or Isaiah that is being talked about.  I have found it helpful to have a good study bible that gives citations on both ends – NT quoting OT and OT pointing to places it is quoted – because sometimes I need a nudge to understand the context and content.

The latest instance happened today while reading in Ezra, one of the historical books describing activities in Jerusalem after the Exile. Verse 14 says, “And the elders of the Jews built and prospered though the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo.”  Two weeks ago the reading from the Prophet books was Haggai, and last week was the first part of Zechariah.  Maybe now I will remember that Haggai and Zechariah come right together in the Old Testament; more likely I will remember that they were contemporaries who had a wonderful impact on the Israelites who returned from Babylon and other places where they had been scattered.

I greatly enjoy the flow and continuity of the Word.  There is a Big Plan that runs from Genesis through Revelation, and we can see the plan continuing in our day – it is coming together!