I recently heard a quote from Bono, the lead singer from the band U2 that caused me to stop and think. He was actually quoting what a pastor said to him one time. He said, “Stop asking God to bless what you’re doing. Get involved in what God is doing because it’s already blessed.”

When I heard that quote it became like a philosophical nugget that I had to mentally chew on. In fact, I’m still chewing on it and thinking about its implications. One question it causes me to consider is, “What are some of the things that I’m either doing now or have done in the past in which God may not be involved?”

I’ve learned the hard way that just asking God to bless what you’re doing without really finding out if it’s something He wants you to do can cost you a lot of precious time, not to mention money.

For example, many years ago before I was in ministry I got the brilliant idea to “invest” $8,000 into some vending machines. I just knew that these moneymakers, these gold mines were sure to be my ticket to self-employment and a life among the rich and famous.

OK, maybe I’m exaggerating a little. Well, after some smooth talking and a little arm-twisting, my wife finally, yet reluctantly, gave her blessing.
The day finally came when the machines arrived and I was so excited! I couldn’t wait to put them in public places and watch them start working for me, and watch the money start rolling in. Right?

Wrong! I had nothing but problems with these machines. Pop cans were exploding as they were being dispensed to customers. Bags of chips were getting stuck in the coils. The coin mechanisms were constantly breaking down. The owners of the businesses where I had the machines placed were getting frustrated and asking me to have them removed.

My dream of financial freedom quickly became a nightmare, and I decided to cut my losses and sell them for whatever I could get out of them, which was about a 60 percent loss.

Why this debacle? Well, first of all I didn’t pay attention to the fact that my wife was hesitant about the whole thing from the beginning. If there’s anything I’ve learned in 25 years of marriage, it’s that if the wife says no, that’s basically on par with God saying no!

The reason for this business failure wasn’t even because I failed to ask God to bless it. I did. In fact, I even gave the name of the business a nice biblical name. I named it Sozo Snacks. Sozo is an old Greek word that means to heal, and the Bible says that God is our healer. This business by its name would always represent that truth.

 Forget the fact that there wasn’t one healthy item in these machines! The reason for this costly lesson in life was that I made the mistake that so many enthusiastic people make; I simply jumped in and decided what I was going to do instead of praying, asking God if I should do it, and waiting on Him until I got the green light. Little did I know that God had other plans for me. Oh well, lesson learned.

What about the things that God is doing? If those things are already blessed then we should get involved in them. If that happens to be a dream or a vision for your life that you’ve carried inside, and it seems that God has confirmed that it’s His will for you, the people closest to you generally affirm it, and you have peace in your heart about it after praying, then you’re on pretty solid ground moving ahead with it.

After all, consider the turtle. It makes progress only when it sticks its neck out. Sometimes you just need to be willing to take a calculated risk in life. Then there are the things that Jesus would be involved in; things like healing the sick and wounded, comforting the brokenhearted, feeding the hungry, extending grace and compassion to the outcasts, and meeting other human needs.

If we find ways to get involved in these areas and partner together with God, then we can be sure that we have God’s blessing and will be successful in what we do.