Isaiah 57 warns those who continue in wickedness, who continue to worship idols that they will not experience peace. They keep turning away. God is still there with the offer to heal and forgive when they are ready to receive. Until then peace will be elusive.

Isaiah 58 speaks to the people of God. They say they want to be close to God and yet they do not do the things that God wants them to do. It is not enough to perform the rituals of worship. God wants the faithful to be just and charitable. They must commit themselves to help the poor and needy. It is only then that they will truly be keeping God’s law. They must honor the Sabbath and pursue God’s interests not their own. God will bless their efforts.

Hebrews 11 is a recounting of many of the faithful found in the Old Testament. It states that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” When we act in faith we believe that God is working things out even though we may or may not ever see the results of His actions. We are not to doubt that God’s hand is in our lives just because we may not be seeing visible signs of His actions. We are part of God’s larger plan and we may only be a small part of the fulfillment of God’s purposes. God may be using the circumstances in which we find ourselves to contribute to a greater good that will be complete long after we are gone. We must not assume that just because we are not seeing results God is not blessing us. The blessing comes in being faithful to God’s call on our lives and being and doing our best to be faithful.