Ehrael Rivers, MSW, “Strength During The Storm: The Blueprint For Love”

by ReadersMagnet | May 21, 2026 | Literary Executive Review | 0 Comments

To be honest, it has been a while since I’ve checked out a devotional. I’ve seen quite a number of them growing up. It’s really wonderful to see spiritual authors of all kinds doing their best to craft a guide for fellow believers out there.

So, when I decided to review Strength During The Storm: The Blueprint For Love by Ehrael Rivers, I was very excited to see how she designed hers.

Because, really, there is a design to a good devotional. In the case of Strength, it is a guide for married Christian couples, as well as courting couples and spiritual singles trying to find the special someone God intends for them.

But before that, let’s talk about the author herself. She is the daughter of a pastor, and she has studied the Bible for her entire life. While doing that, though, she pursued psychology and has worked for 10 years as a behavioral health professional.

Knowing this has made me very eager to see how her devotional guides readers. I’m sure there are plenty of Christian authors out there who are also mental health professionals with similar books. However, this is the first one I’ve read in a while, and I’m very interested in how Ehrael reaches out to her audience.

21 Days of Putting Christ in a Couple’s Relationship

Christian counseling for couples is not a new idea, but I really am impressed with how Ehrael’s devotional mirrors this approach.

The book is structured for 21 days, and with each day, the reader is gently presented with some good minor exercises for reflection before diving right into the lesson.

There is a workbook element for sure, but it is a very good one where there is a morning check-in at the start, the main message of the day in the middle, and then a concluding exercise of four Rs: Read, Reflect, Relate, and Respond.

With just this structure, I know I’m reading the work of a professional, and it does feel like I’m being guided. It is not too hard to imagine a youth, soul-searching and single, reading this and getting their first bit of spiritual formation from this book.

Of course, it is only right that I don’t give the entire book away, but I would like to highlight a few standout lessons in the later days.

For example, Day 4 talks about ‘the power of the tongue,’ and I was expecting it to touch upon communication in marriage.

In a way, I was right, but it was also a lot more. There are insights that go a little deeper into how disagreements and the manner of communication can still be a big deal! It is very heartening to have a Christian counselor tell couples that they are in this together. There really shouldn’t be some sort of competition between its two halves! The way that Ehrael frames such attitudes as a potential avenue for abuse is very impressive.

Day 7 has a very surprising lesson about attitudes towards sex and somehow tying it with vulnerability. I won’t spoil exactly how it does this, but it is very encouraging. There is less of the finger-wagging tone about the casual attitude towards sex, but it makes a very poignant comparison with how people in a relationship approach vulnerability.

And to think, this was just Day 7. That means following this devotional for a week already promises quite the insight into how to either improve a marriage or help people prepare for one.

At the same time, every Bible verse is very on point for the day’s topic. This book does a very good job of demonstrating how there remains a lot of wisdom in various religions. If you’re somebody looking for ideas on how to make the Bible still very relevant to the challenges of modern-day romance, then you’ll get a great start right here.

A Heartfelt Recommendation to Pastors and Counselors

Ehrael states that her book is recommended to married couples as well as Christian singles searching for the right partner. I’d like to extend this further and say that this would be a great addition to any church bookstore.

The way that it guides the readers to follow reflective exercises makes it a great tool to supplement counseling. I can think of a few couples formation programs that would love to have books like this on hand, or even just as a model for their own exercises!

All in all, this devotional is really what it says on the cover. If you are looking for a Christian devotional that’s specifically meant to improve relationships and maintain trust, then Ehrael Rivers’ Strength During the Storm has plenty of excellent, biblical advice for your next 21 days.