Isaiah 58-59

Often we blame God when God seems far away from us.  That is what Isaiah's readers were doing.  But God explains that the root problem is their sin, not him.  They fast and do lots of other religious things, but they don't care for the poor and they don't obey God's commands.  This passage is a great call to repentance, to ask ourselves where we are falling short in these areas and to seek forgiveness and to begin obeying.  In chapter 59 we see that the problems of sin and injustice are rampant, and that ultimately it is God and God alone who will bring justice and salvation.  Read it here.