Welcome to the Daily Chizuk.
There are people in life who go through very difficult tests, some physically and some spiritually. They are in pain, and they don't understand why they aren't being helped. They say, "I've been praying for such a long time, and nothing is changing," or, "I went to a rabbi, and he told me what to do. I've been following his instructions, and I'm still not being helped. I've gone to many rabbis for blessings, and nothing is working. Life is not going well for me. Every time I try to improve and do more mitzvot (commandments), I don't see Hashem giving me back what I need. What are the mitzvot doing for me? Where is Hashem when I need Him?"
What can we tell these people? We don't understand why you're going through this for such a long time, but Hashem is with you in your pain, as the pasuk (verse) says, and He is only doing it for your own good. You have every excuse to give up and say, "I've had it. I'm not doing the mitzvot anymore." But you could say, ad rabba, just the opposite: "I can give Hashem something now that most of the world will never be able to give Him. I could serve Hashem with all of this pain and all of this worry, and every ounce of effort that I put in to serve Hashem now becomes exponentially greater."
We hear people saying, "I'm being so good. I'm trying so hard. When am I going to get a break already?" You have to continue to do what you're doing. Stay loyal. There's nothing else out there. All we have is Hashem. And one day, you'll see the light, and you'll see how valuable all of your efforts really were.
Rabbi Ephraim Waxman once brought this lesson out from Yosef HaTzadik. The Midrash tells us that Yosef was crying at the feet of each of his brothers, pleading with them not to sell him, but no one had mercy, and they sold him anyway. He could have said, "This is the way Talmidei chachamim (great rabbis) act? I've had it. I'm not interested anymore." But he persevered. And in Ervat ha'aretz, in the lowest society of the world, Mitzrayim (Egypt), he stayed loyal to Hashem. He prayed every day. He learned every day. Maybe he was thinking, "Hashem must see how good I'm being, how hard I'm trying. Now he's really going to help me." But what happened? Vatisah eshet adonav et eineha el Yosef (His master's wife lifted her eyes toward Yosef). He was given a very difficult test, with the wife of Potiphar trying to seduce him every single day. He could have said, "It's not hard enough already, Hashem. I need this now." And the pasuk says he stayed strong. He refused. He didn't commit to avon (sin). Now he could think, "Hashem's really going to take care of me now for this one." But what happened? He was thrown into a dungeon in ancient Egypt to be forgotten about.
But in jail, he still stayed loyal to Hashem. And after 10 years, he asked the butler for some help, and he was given two more years in jail because he tried to save him. He trusted in man and not in Hashem. Where does it end? But finally, after 12 years in jail, Yosef one day was rushed out of prison, and he became the viceroy of the entire civilized world for 80 years. And for all of those tests that he kept passing, he's known as Yosef HaTzadik for all of eternity. Hashem knew that every test was making him greater and greater.
We don't know when or how the salvation will come, but every day, every day that you stay loyal, you are becoming a greater tzadik (righteous person), and the more you want to give up, the greater the opportunity is for greatness. Our job is to stay the course, and one day, you'll look back and you'll see that this was how you earned your glory. Have a great day.