YES! It's a thing!
Firstly, You probably think I’m wilding 😂.
Secondly, I’m sure you are thinking “haaibo, is holding God accountable even a thing?”
Yes it is.
Read on to find out how to go about it.
Sometimes we wrestle with unjust things that happen in our personal lives and in the world. As a child of God, you find yourself wondering why God is not coming through or showing up when you need Him to. You pray but your prayers don’t yield anything fruitful. Backed in a corner, you start questioning whether God is faithful, hears your cries and sees what you are going through. Although the article isn’t about that, I want to assure you that He hears and sees it all.
Now with the picture I’ve painted above in mind (not the image of the dog 😂), shift your mind to how you can hold God accountable when you are faced with surreal circumstances. Circumstances that make you wail: “where art thou, Lord? You promised to never leave nor forsake me. Are you going to stand by and watch me drown?”
The idea of holding God accountable sounds uncanny and unchristian. Like, “who do you think you are? God does not answer to anyone!” Many may say this and feel this way because of a lack of understanding or knowledge of the covenant that God has with us (human beings).
Think of a Covenant as a legally binding agreement. Of all the definitions I found online, this one from the Bible Project detailed it better for me:
“A covenant is a chosen relationship or partnership in which two parties make binding promises to each other and work together to reach a common goal. They’re often accompanied by oaths, signs, and ceremonies. Covenants contain defined obligations and commitments, but differ from a contract in that they are relational and personal.”
I'm sure you’ve experienced a situation whereby you and another person are in conflict because of unknowingly (because they were never communicated) unmet expectations. The truth is, if you haven’t had prior contracting with someone to agree on things, it is difficult to hold them accountable because in essence, you both have no full understanding of what defines your relationship and what to expect from one another. In the same way, our covenant with God entails relational habits + promises. For example, in John 15:4, God, through Jesus, says "abide in me and I will abide in you". If you have done your part but are not feeling his presence, you have to exercise your questioning muscle like David did in many scriptures such as Psalms 10, 22 and 43.
The only way to hold this position though and to rightfully engage God to hold him accountable is to first open your Bible. Immerse yourself in scripture to have a better understanding of the covenant God has with human beings. Then agree to play your part actively to abide by the prescriptions of the covenant. This is not just beneficial to increasing and solidifying your knowledge of God but it will bring you into a deeper and intimate relationship with Him.
We see many examples of this in the Bible. Like the time Moses became the voice of reason when he courageously pleaded with God to change His mind about destroying the Israelites after they worshipped a golden calf they had created from their gold belongings (Exodus 32:1-14).
And the time Abraham (in Genesis 18:23-33) asked God why He saw it fit to destroy Sodom in it’s entirety even when there might be innocent people in that land. We know that eventually Sodom was destroyed to fulfil what God saw fit. However, God kept the conversation He had with Abraham in mind, resulting in Lot and his family being rescued (Genesis 19:29).
David, Moses and Abraham and many others in the Bible understood the covenant they had with God. They had a personal and intimate relationship with Him. This, empowered them to speak with authority (maintaining their humility) to God to ensure what He has promised gets fulfilled.
So as you pray, do so from a place of knowledge and wisdom. Like Pastor Tony Evans writes, we should “pray according to our covenantal rights.” The key to knowing what these rights are, is to come to the Lord not just to pray for our needs but to spend time meditating on His word (see Psalms 1 and Joshua 1:8).
Make today the day you start on this journey.
Think and reflect:
what are my covenantal rights pertaining to the situation I am faced with? Remember though that with rights, comes responsibility. Your follow up question should then be:
What part do I need to play for the fulfilment of my covenantal rights?
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to tune into Season 1 of the Village Conversations Podcast for similar content. For ease of access, here is the link: Village Conversations Podcast Season 1.