You see a need, so you figure out a way to meet it. Maybe the need is a large homeless population in your city, so you rally some volunteers and find a way to feed the homeless every Saturday. You find that it’s both exciting and fulfilling. After all, you’re putting your faith into action and making a difference! You’re sharing God’s love with people who need it, and you’re telling them about the Good News. Each time you wrap up your weekly soup kitchen, you and your team even pray together and ask God to bless your ministry.

So what’s wrong with this hypothetical story? And how could it ever be a bad thing to ask God to bless your ministry?

To start, you did plenty of amazing things that need acknowledging:

• You generously helped others when you could have been watching Netflix.   
• You showed God’s love to those in need.
• You shared the Good News.

The only problem with this story is that you viewed the ministry as “yours” instead of God’s. Instead of asking God to bless what you are doing, it would be more effective to ask how you can partner with what He is doing. “Our role is to compliment what God is already doing here.” affirms Roy, a member of our Church Planting Network in Ireland. Before engaging in ministry, he likes to stop and listen for God to see how He is already at work.

This approach of joining God’s ministry might seem like a subtle nuance, but it can really make a huge difference. Instead of viewing ourselves as the leaders of a movement, it teaches us to rightfully view God as the leader—and to acknowledge that His ways are higher than ours. 

God, please reveal to me what you are already doing and show me how I can partner with you.