Today I’m looking at the NLT Pray for America Bible. It is part of Tyndale’s One Year Bible line. This Bible is designed to give the reader a specific way to read through the Bible in a year and pray for America each day.
ISBN 9781496443731 Printed in the United States of America
Tyndale provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions are my own.
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This book is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
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Construction & Printing
The version I’m reviewing is the paperback edition. It measures 8 3/8″ x 5 1/4″ x 1 3/8″ and weighs 1 pound & 11 ounces. It has a glued binding. This Bible is also currently available in the E-book format.
The paper is off-white and feels like a mid 30s GSM. The paper is rougher and has a bit of a shine to it under certain lighting. The texture makes it easy to turn but it is lower quality than most Bible paper. It is also obviously much higher quality than a typical paperback book and nice for the price range. It is a black letter edition with fairly consistent ink darkness throughout.
The text is laid out in a double-column format and has an 8.5 point font. Most of the text is in paragraphs with Psalms and Proverbs being printed verse-by-verse. Lists are presented as lists and quotes are in a slightly indented verse format like Psalms.
The header contains only the page number and the suggested date for that pages reading. The only footnotes are translators notes that are included in slightly smaller text at the end of each section of the day’s readings.
Each month starts at the top of the right-hand side and has a larger black and white photo of something pertaining to America.
Reading Plan
If you follow this Bibles reading plan you will read the entire Bible once and Psalms a second time in a year. Each day includes a reading from the Old Testament, a reading from the New Testament, a reading from Psalms, and a short passage from Proverbs. The readings are designed to take the average person about 15 minutes.
It is easy to tell where one day ends and the next begins. Each day starts with a highlighted prayer prompt and a black and white picture with the date written on it. Most of the pictures are much smaller than those on the 1st of each month.
These 3 pictures show you a fairly typical day’s reading.
This is definitely a reading Bible. The Table of Contents has the date and page each book begins on but with readings from 4 books included each day looking a reference up will be time-consuming.
The reading from several different places in the Bible has not been my favorite type of reading plan when I tried it. One of the major problems though was having to flip back and forth to find all my readings or having a hard time keeping track of 4 to 5 bookmarks. This Bible would get rid of that problem.
A One Year Bible review in April
I realize most people will have been looking for a reading plan Bible in December so they could start January 1st. My family and I have read the Bible through in a calendar year several times. And if that’s the case you can just consider this Bible when next December rolls around.
But reading plans and One Year Bibles don’t always have to be started on New Years Day. Right now the USA and the entire world could use some extra prayers. So if you wanted to start a Bible like this in the middle of April, I have a few suggestions.
You could start at the beginning of the Bible and read a passage and say a special prayer each day and not worry about the date on the page. Very few of the prayer prompts are tied to any specific date. This approach would be especially useful for those who are busier than usual and might end up being too tired or unfocused to read every day. You wouldn’t have to worry about falling behind or catching up because you already aren’t going by the date, it just might take you a little longer than a year to finish.
For those with more time on their hand instead of less, you could still start at the beginning. You could do one reading (and prayer) in the morning and one in the afternoon or evening until you caught up or your schedule got back to normal. If you hadn’t quite caught up when you got busy again you could still do a second reading on your quietest days until you did.
For those trying to make a fresh start or rededication another good option would be just starting on the reading for the date you start. You could mark it and then start at the beginning of your Bible and read to your start point to have read the Bible in a year.
Prayer Prompts
There is a 5 page forward to this Bible that explains why all Christian Americans should be praying for their nation. Written by Senate Chaplain Dr. Barry Black this forward shows that the Bible wants us to pray for our leaders (both in the church and in government) whether we agree with them or not. It also points out that God has promised prayer can change things.
There is a short Prayer Prompt at the beginning of each day’s reading. These include prayers not only for our nation as a whole but for specific offices and duties of our government as well as prayers for the ministry and people of America. While this is the NLT Pray for America Bible most of these prompts would work well for the government and people of any nation or even for the world as a whole.
There are 6 thicker glossy full-color pages spaced throughout the Bible. These include 12 specific prayers or quotes from historical figures and are the most USA focused part of the entire Bible. The pages are beautiful and are nice additions to the Bible but he thicker pages do make it harder for the Bible to lay open on its own.
Final Thoughts on the NLT Pray for America Bible
This is a nice read your Bible through in a year Bible. The prayer prompts are a good addition to a daily reading plan that helps give you focus when praying for your nation. This Bible is worth considering for anyone looking for something to make reading the Bible through in a year easier, especially if they also want to pray for America or their nation and the world.
_________________________________________________________
This book is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
_________________________________________________________
Tyndale provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions are my own.
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