Does God Hear Us?

     Does God hear us?  For many, that's the million dollar question.  But for those who have put their trust in Christ Jesus, it's a given. I've been reading through 2 Chronicles, and one recurring theme I have found is that when the children of Judah cried out to the Lord, He heard their cry...and He answered them!  In chapter 13, while Israel turned away from the Lord God to serve other gods, King Abijah and Judah kept the command of the Lord. So when Judah cried out to the Lord, they knew He would be faithful to deliver them, even though they were surrounded by the enemy--an enemy twice their number!  And verse 18 says, "Thus the children of Israel were subdued at that time; and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord God of their fathers."  They trusted God to hear and to respond to their cry.
     In chapter 14, when Asa was king of Judah, he also commanded Judah to seek the Lord God and to observe the law and the commandment.  And when Asa and Judah went to war against the Ethiopians and were outnumbered by them almost 2 to 1, Asa cried out to the Lord in verse 11, saying, "Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!" They placed it all in His hands.  And again, the Lord heard them and struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, until the Ethiopians were overthrown!  In chapter 16, it says that because they relied on the Lord, He delivered the Ethiopians into their hand.  "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him." (verse 9)
     "Where is she going with this?" you might ask.  Here is the priceless answer:  When we find ourselves in a situation that is insurmountable, and we are afraid, we can cry out to the Lord.  Then He will hear us and respond, if we totally rely on Him.  "Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:12-13)   That's a promise!  The enemy wants us to be afraid:  afraid that we won't have money to pay our bills, afraid that the one we love will abandon us, or even afraid that the doctor's diagnosis will be cancer... But as the Lord was on the side of the children of Judah, because they sought Him with all their hearts, He will be on our side if we do the same.  Trust in Him, "...casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you." (I Peter 5:7)