1) Hakadosh Baruch Hu misaveh Tefillasan shel Tzaddikim – Hashem desires the Tefilos of Tzadiikim… a prayer from the depths of a tzaddik can be mechaper not only for himself but for all others suffering! The power is beyond comprehension.
2) I am sure you heard of the maisah (it happened in many versions all with the same point) Reuven had a regular life with hardships and happiness. When his Neshama went up to meet it’s creator, he sat humiliated as his life passed before him as he was judged. He had Chata’im galore and his mitzvos were only minimal and not close to enough to weigh down the scale in his favor. Suddenly Malachim appeared carrying heavy burdens and loading them onto the “mitzvah” or Zakai side of the scale. he realized these burdens were the yissurim he went through in life. slowly slowly his scale was evening out for the good and he realized he might just not have to be considered a “rasha” and go to gehenom (whatever that means)suddenly the malachim had no more burdens to carry. Reuven looked at the scale and cried out so loud…. “Hashem couldn’t You have given me more tzaros!?!? more yisurim?!?!?” He watched in horror as the scale was just tipped a drop to low to the guilty side and just a few more yisurim would have samed him and made him zakai!!! But it was TOO LATE!
We don’t understand it here (beleive me… I grumble every time I have my share) but it’s a chesed that Hashem sends yisurim because when we dont do a proper teshuva the yisurim aquit us and are mechaper for all of our crimeful aveiros! I baruch Hashem grew up in a home with a motto of “zil zein a kapara” not always is it natural to say when you are the one suffering but its important to bury it in your heart and mind. and NEVER judge someone else who is going through things. as I am typing this my music is playing on my computer and I just chopped that the song its playing is “al tisyaesh- do not give up hope! afilu cherev chada munachas al tzavaro shel adam… even if a sword is on your throat don’t give up….” We never know when Hashem may have rachamim and we have to daven from our yesurim and thank Hashem for the kapara…