The Goodness of God in the Gift of Scripture The Goodness of God in the Gift of Scripture: 20 Meditations

by Uche Anizor

Meditations from Psalm 119 Reveal the Multitude of Gifts God Communicates Through Scripture

Do you view the Bible as a gift to open or a burden to carry? God—the source of every good and perfect gift—offers abundant promises in Scripture. But sometimes, studying his word feels more burdensome than rewarding. In order to delight in the Bible, believers should anticipate all of the blessings it contains, from the reassuring to the unexpected.

Each of these 20 brief readings, based primarily on Psalm 119, focuses on an individual gift that God communicates through his word, such as warnings and wisdom that bring repentance. Readers will explore themes including righteousness, hope, freedom from shame, strength in affliction, and more. Author Uche Anizor pours years of ministry experience and in-depth biblical insight into a series of accessible meditations that help believers see the Bible as an extension of God’s mercy and love.

20  Each brief reading highlights a different gift that God communicates through Scripture Builds Trust for God and His  This book helps readers understand God’s manifold, life-shaping grace and follow the Bible’s wisdom and instruction Additional  Features hymns at the end of each chapter, a concluding meditation on the many ways we can respond to God’s word, and prayers at the end of the book

Genres: Theology

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 7, 2026

About the author

Uche Anizor (PhD Wheaton) is Associate Professor of Theology at Biola University. His current interests include theological method, the theological interpretation of Scripture and the theology of Colin Gunton.

Reviews

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

#gifted from Crossway to read and review voluntarily and honestly.

I've been looking for an easy, short-ish book on Psalm 119, and this is NOT it.

BUT! With that said, it's a great book! It's primarily a *devotion*, not a study guide, however Anizor quotes from a good handful of theologians, gently explains some original languages to better understand some concepts, and pulls from other Psalms and the New Testament to make connections for the reader.

Every chapter includes a few verses of Psalm 119 for the theme of the chapter's gift (so not necessarily verses in order) and ends with a song or prayer from history.

It's stunning! Easy to read, practical advice and application in every chapter. This would make a wonderful gift or devotional for a couple. Prob not for a group to use though.

[Hobart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader. If you like this post, you might like others on that site. Consider checking it out!
---
WHAT'S THE GOODNES OF GOD IN THE GIFT OF SCRIPTURE ABOUT?
This is a brief devotional book—twenty short readings—primarily based on Psalm 119, discussing gifts God communicates through his word.

I really feel like I should have more to say there, but I don't know how to get into it. The Table of Contents should give you a decent idea of what to expect:

Introduction: Our Good God and the Grace of Scripture

Chapter 1: The Gift of Blessedness
Chapter 2: The Gift of Purity
Chapter 3: The Gift of No Shame
Chapter 4: The Gift of a Wonderful Counselor
Chapter 5: The Gift of Fear
Chapter 6: The Gift of Salvation
Chapter 7: The Gift of Fruitfulness
Chapter 8: The Gift of Warnings
Chapter 9: The Gift of Peace
Chapter 10: The Gift of Understanding
Chapter 11: The Gift of Sight
Chapter 12: The Gift of Nourishment
Chapter 13: The Gift of Strength in Affliction
Chapter 14: The Gift of True Truth
Chapter 15: The Gift of Freedom
Chapter 16: The Gift of Life
Chapter 17: The Gift of Joy
Chapter 18: The Gift of Wisdom
Chapter 19: The Gift of Righteousness
Chapter 20: The Gift of Hope

Epilogue: Opening the Gift

BONUS MATERIAL
Anizor ends each chapter with selections (not all the same length) from topically appropriate hymns. I'm unfamiliar with all those he picked, but they seemed to be good choices. There's a concluding thought on the way to react to the chapter's material. And there are some prayers for the reader's use at the end of the book, as well.

Given the nature of the book as a devotional, these are all nice touches and help the project. I do wonder occasionally if those end-of-chapter suggested responses could've shown a little more trust for the reader, they seemed a little obvious.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE GOODNESS OF GOD IN THE GIFT OF SCRIPTURE?
My biggest problem with this book is self-inflicted. I didn't do a thorough enough job of reading the description—the title refers to the "Gift of Scripture" and I focused on that over the part of the description, saying that each reading "focuses on an individual gift that God communicates through his word, such as warnings and wisdom that bring repentance. Readers will explore themes including righteousness, hope, freedom from shame, strength in affliction, and more." Not that I have a problem with any of that—I absolutely do not. I just went into the book looking for material on the gift of Scripture, not the rest.

The book does an okay job of that frequently, but it's not the overwhelming theme. It just makes the book feel unfocused. And the lack of focus hurts.

It's a fine book, I liked the additional material at the end of the chapter and the Epilogue. I just think it could've been better—and if it focused on the theme as expressed in the title, I think it would've been that much stronger. Still, readers going into it for the right things—looking for what the book really is—will find themselves rewarded.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Crossway via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: The twentieth-century pastor and writer A.W. Tozer famously wrote, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us... Worship is pure or base as teh worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God." The shape of our worship and the course of our lives are dictated by our sense of what God is like. This conviction led Tozer to conclude that "the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like." I have often wondered if what Tozer said about our view of God is equally true regarding our view of Scripture, God's word. What comes into our minds when we think about the Bible?

In this book we have twenty meditations on the Word of God, on Scripture, taken from (inspired by) Psalm 119.

Psalm 119 is AMAZING and wonderful and extremely practical and packed with insights and truth. Truly it is a love song to the Word of God. I highly recommend reading this Psalm often. It would be my hope that believers instead of "dreading" this long Psalm would come to LOVE it and see it for what it is.

So let's unpack the title. Scripture is GOD-BREATHED. Here we have the very words of God Himself. We have his revelation. That revelation is a GIFT, the best gift, the truest gift. And this gift is one of an infinite amount of proofs that God is GOOD. He gave us HIS word so we would come to know him, love him, seek him, serve him, obey him, ENJOY HIM, glory in him. It is more than just "knowing" right from wrong. It is a GIFT of relationship. Scripture reveals the GIFTS the LORD has given us. So it isn't just one gift--but many--beyond what we can fathom.

Chapter titles unpack the "gifts" of Scripture:

The Gift of Blessedness
The Gift of Purity
The Gift of No Shame
The Gift of a Wonderful Counselor
The Gift of Fear
The Gift of Salvation
The Gift of Fruitfulness
the Gift of Warnings
The Gift of Peace
The Gift of Understanding
The Gift of Sight
The Gift of Nourishment
The Gift of Strength in Addiction
The Gift of True Truth
The Gift of Freedom
The Gift of Life
The Gift of Joy
The Gift of Wisdom
The Gift of Righteousness
The Gift of Hope

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved the concept and general outline of this book. The author goes through several aspects (mainly based off of Psalm 119) in which the Scriptures change our lives, bless us and help us to know God better.

While I deeply appreciate the heart behind this book, the voice and style didn’t quite resonate with me. The book is pitched as a meditative book or maybe even a devotional, but it reads much stiffer, like a dissertation or essay. It also heavily references other books and theologians (and often in large paragraphs) which also doesn’t seem to fit the type of book that’s being pitched. Personally, when I pick up a book focusing on passages from the Psalms, I prefer something more pensive and poetic to match the genre.

Content wise, the author is true to Scripture, and you can tell he deeply loves the Lord and His Word. There were some really great points I was left thinking about, but I think in general the style felt a little bit clunkier than I’d prefer for this kind of book. 3-3.5 stars for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crossway for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Elaine Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taking Psalm 119 as his text, Uche Anizor takes us through this passage & highlights 20 gifts God gives His children. I found the meditations profound & practical. The author carefully exegetes the Word of God, bringing helpful illustrations in along the way. Each chapter ends with the text from an old hymn, many of which I have never heard & am now so curious to find in hymnals! This book would make a wonderful gift for a friend or just a helpful devotional to use yourself when you need encouragement to keep leaning into Bible study.

[Lianna Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this exposition of the themes found in Psalm 119. It was faithful, warm, and encouraging in tone. While these meditations did not introduce much that was new to me, they were nonetheless more substantial than many devotionals I’ve read—rich in Scripture and thoughtful in reflection.

[Ashlee Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed taking my time through this book while being reminded of and encouraged by the countless treasures found in God’s Word. Anizor offers the reader 20 mediations from Psalm 119, each exploring one of the many reasons to delight in God’s good gift of Scripture.

[Marta Woltjer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet read! A call to delight in the words of a delighted Author. Through gifts, postures, and practices, it gently reorients your heart to joyfully receive what God is offering rather than growing numb. This book was a gift.