With all the financial turmoil around the world, my wife and I thought it was time to talk to our financial advisor. In the course of our conversation, our advisor reached back on his credenza for a Bible. He read Ecclesiastes 7:14: “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.” He professed that the passage had helped him in the current financial chaos.

I think the thought of Solomon can help us all see a little more clearly. I’d say it can help “clean our glasses” so we might see better.

First, the passage wipes away the illusion that humans control events. God is in control. The talking heads on TV and all the other sources of news and opinion leave the impression that we are in control. But these events came and were not prevented by human ingenuity.

God has reasons of his own for sending good and bad times. We can’t always understand or even see things coming. As his children by faith in Jesus, we expect God to care for us and cause even the worst of times to serve our good (Romans 8:28). That doesn’t mean we will never experience pain, loss, or challenging difficulties. It only means we have the confidence that we are dear to him and he has us close to his heart when he controls events.

Not only does that thought give comfort, but it should also breed humility. A humble spirit comes from knowing the greatness of God’s power and from knowing how flawed we are as sinful human creatures of such a great God. The events unfolding before us were, in fact, fed by human greed. Our desire for more, more, and more has contributed to our anguish. Yes, executives and power brokers claim a large part of the blame, but each of us is infected by the virus of greed. Sadly, we don’t think we are sick until what we want—and even what we have—disappears or is threatened. One part of clearing up our vision is to repent, seeking God’s forgiveness in Christ.

Interestingly the financial trouble does not only affect the rich and powerful; it also has seeped down into the lives of many ordinary people. How many of them will be shaken enough to consider their own flaws and seek a different course in the God of grace? Only God knows. I pray many will.