How do you respond to personal distress?

Read Job 36.

Claiming to speak on behalf of God, Elihu presented various ways people may respond.

When God brings about or allows trouble to strike due to sin, "he declares to them their work and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly" (v.9).  This is God's loving call to the very conscience of the afflicted to turn from their sin and live for Him.  Isaiah 53:6 defines sin as "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."  The essence of sin is selfish pride that thinks we may live our lives in any way we choose apart from our Creator.
1. Some people listen and repent of their sin.  The result is that they serve God with their lives. (v.11)
2. Some people do not listen and die never having learned from their sin against God. (v.12)
3. Some people choose to be angry with God, rebelling against Him, and suffer even greater consequences. (v.13-14)

The basis of his message is that God is "perfect in knowledge" (all-knowing) and "mighty" (all-powerful).  Notice how intimate and personal God's knowledge is of  individual thoughts and actions.  He intervenes at His will to correct or to bless accordingly.  While those statements are true, personal distress is not always the result of our sin.  To determine the difference we must listen to God's voice, examine ourselves, and respond accordingly.   God is at work spiritually and unseen, so we do not always experience or witness His responses here and now.  Many wrongs and rewards will be dealt with at the coming judgments after this life.

The good news, as Isaiah reminds us, is that this is why Messiah came and died on the cross.  "The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."  Our ransom from sin has been paid in full.