Crystal Writes A Blog

Proverbs 19: The Day After the Day Before

It’s easy to see the devastation and loss in this image. What the man once prided himself in is now worthless after the destruction of a tornado. His family is safe, but you can tell they are scared. And is the father trying to comfort them as they share in that loss? Is he looking at them as a gift that God allowed him to keep? Or, like the first man in the garden, is he just looking for someone to blame?

Proverbs Chapter 19 begins with the statement that a poor person who walks with integrity is better than a rich fool. Then it continues in verse 3 about that fool blaming God for his troubles. The Amplified Bible states it this way ..

Proverbs 19:1 AMP
[1] Better is a poor man who walks in his Integrity than a [rich] man who is twisted in his speech and is a [shortsighted] fool.

https://bible.com/bible/1588/pro.19.1.AMP

Proverbs 19:3 AMP
[3] The foolishness of man undermines his way [ruining whatever he undertakes];Then his heart is resentful and rages against the Lord [for, being a fool, he blames the Lord instead of himself].

https://bible.com/bible/1588/pro.19.3.AMP

So what happened the day before this terrible storm? As The family gathered around the dinner table, the television, or shared a hug before climbing into their comfy beds, did they stop to look up at the sky then? Did they think about God and all that He had provided for them and give Him the praise He’s worthy of? Or was it just another blessed day they took for granted?

Sometimes, I think it’s good that my sister and I grew up in a harder life situation where even ground beef for a skillet meal was seen as a benefit and something we should be grateful for. Though we didn’t have a regular church or religion, we had Bibles and we had at least an inkling of God as our Provider. When an earthquake damaged our apartment, we slept on the floor at our grandparents’ house; though it was only in adulthood that I looked back and saw all the provisions we had to be grateful for. Still , I never recall hearing all the blame and anger against The Almighty that seems to permeate the atmosphere these days.

Surely, the rich and wise King Solomon based verse 6 on his own kingly experiences. It says,…

Proverbs 19:6 WEBUS
[6] Many will entreat the favor of a ruler, and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.

https://bible.com/bible/206/pro.19.6.WEBUS

And they treat God the same way. They entreat His favor and offer Him friendship as long as He’s willing to pour out gifts on them. But even in that, it’s a shallow friendship. Though it doesn’t have to be that way. Each of us can look at what we have gained and lost in this life and offer praise to The Great Provider. We can know that nothing is guaranteed (and, yes that can stir up fear if we dwell on it) and just trust that Abba Yahveh has been there before us and nothing surprises Him.  If we spend the day before with a grateful heart, we will have more resilience and strength if the day after the day before (today) brings something unexpected.

And this is a great place for the song, “Count Your Blessings.”

March 19, 2026 - Posted by Crystal A Murray (aka CrystalWriter) | Bible, Nonfiction, Proverbs & Wisdom, Proverbs Series, Thoughts and Articles | angry at God, Bible, grateful, Proverbs, Proverbs 19, resilient, trouble, unexpected