About the Book

Book: Everyday Prayers for Joy

Author: Gina L. Smith

Genre: RELIGION / Christian Living/Devotional Journal

Release date: January 4, 2022

9781641238267 Jesus promises us that the world will give us trials and tribulations, but our hearts should not be troubled. James urges us to “count it all joy…when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

In Everyday Prayers for Joy, author Gina L. Smith shares the life-changing lesson she learned to lament in prayer in order to find joy during hard times and changing circumstances.

When she found herself in a difficult season and cried out to God, “He opened my eyes to the fact that often I find joy in the blessings He has provided for me more than I find joy in Him, the provider of the blessings. I needed to begin the process of learning what it meant to find joy in Christ alone.”

Biblical joy, Gina explains, “is something that exists even when we are suffering or going through a heavy trial because it’s based on the knowledge that God is present, walking with us in our trials, and is producing good fruit in us as we go through them.”

In this thirty-day devotional, Gina offers powerful prayers of lament to move past our problems and focus on the source of all love and goodness.

“The prayer of lament is the prayer for a suffering soul,” she says. “It is our fight with our soul to remember there is a future.…God gave us the prayers of lament to help us process the suffering we face in this life. When we don’t use or understand them, we’re actually missing out on the experience of going to the One who loves us most and can actually heal our hearts and help us to get to the point where our gaze breaks through to eternity. Lamenting is the way we come to God when life is overwhelming.”

Each daily entry includes something to think about, space for journaling thoughts, prayer, and praise, and questions for deeper reflection.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

ginaSMITH Gina L. Smith is an author, podcaster, and a prayer mentor for Million Praying Moms.

Gina and her husband Brian have been married for more than three decades. They served as the on-campus parents at a Christian college for more than twenty years while Brian was a professor and dean of students. They mentored hundreds of college and seminary students as well as young couples over the years.

Gina has a degree in Bible studies from Washington Bible College/Capital Bible Seminary. She has written for several organizations, including Million Praying Moms. She is also the author of Grace Gifts: Practical Ways to Help Your Children Understand God’s Grace.

Gina and Brian have two grown children and reside in the metro area of Washington, D.C. To connect with Gina, visit www.ginalsmith.com.

More from Gina

I am excited about what God has been teaching me and am looking forward to what He has in store as I move forward, one day at a time, following His leading in the most amazing calling I could ever imagine! Won’t you join me?

3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Titus 2:3-5

MY REVIEW

Wouldn’t it be nice to be joyful everyday? Just think how we could spread joy to others if we practiced it ourselves? It is hard to find joy when you are going through a difficult time in your life. The scripture says, “Count it all joy…” even when we are going through trials. In this devotional the author gives us insight into how to be joyful by praying and asking God to help us as we struggle.

I like how the book is set up with a reading from one of the books of the Bible. There you can explore what the topic of the chapter is and see what God says about it. The author includes stories we can relate to and ends each chapter with questions and a prayer. I enjoyed going through the book and soaking up the wisdom of what God says about joy. Each day brings new revelation as you do the devotional. I love that there are extra scriptures to study at the end of each chapter. The author has done a good job of covering a subject we all need to have more of.

“Ge will never grow tired of hearing from you and He wants you to pour out your heart to Him.”

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.