我朋友很坦誠地對我說：「不要白白受苦。」這讓我想起幾年前她剛成年的兒子因車禍喪生，我為她兒子主持追悼會。她知道自己說什麼，她瞭解什麼是哀痛，但她也明白上帝能讓苦難使祂自己得榮耀和使人得益，而她的確也藉此幫助了許多人。當時我被診斷罹患癌症，病情不樂觀，她的話安慰並鼓勵了我。這提醒我上帝聽見我的哭泣和哀聲，祂在我的痛苦中與我同在，也能藉我的經歷以不同的方式使別人得幫助。

摩西也瞭解上帝與受苦的以色列百姓同在。上帝說：「我確實看見了我百姓在埃及所受的困苦，我也聽見了他們⋯⋯所發的哀聲；我確實知道他們的痛苦」（出埃及記3章7節，和合本修訂版）。以色列民和我們一樣，有時會在苦難中感到孤單無助。但上帝向他們保證，祂已聽到他們內心的「哀聲」，並且計劃要拯救他們（8-9節）。上帝最終要用以色列民的苦難增強他們的信心，擊垮仇敵，使祂自己得榮耀。

在詩篇90篇這首唯一摩西所寫的詩中，他說，哪怕我們「最好的年華也充滿勞苦愁煩」（10節，新普及譯本），上帝的「慈愛」仍「一生一世」都與我們同在（14節）。祂的慈愛不會使我們白白受苦，我們也不應讓自己白受痛苦。

She looked into my eyes and said, “Don’t waste your pain.” My mind immediately returned to the time years prior when I’d led the memorial service for her young adult son whose life was taken in a car accident. She knew what she was talking about. She knew pain. But she also knew how God could use it to honor Him and help others—something this friend had done so very well. And as I heard her words, they comforted and encouraged me as I faced a serious cancer diagnosis. She was reminding me that God heard my cries and lament, and that He was with me in my pain and might use it to help others in a new way.

Moses also learned that God was with His people in their pain. “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt,” God said. “I have heard them crying out . . . and I am concerned about their suffering” (Exodus 3:7). The Israelites, like us at times, must have felt alone in their pain. But God assured them He had a plan to “rescue them” and that “the cry” of their hearts was heard (vv. 8-9). He would ultimately use their pain to grow their faith, defeat their enemies, and bring Him honor.

In Psalm 90, the only psalm attributed to Moses, he declared that even though our “best years are filled with pain” (v. 10 nlt), God’s “unfailing love” is with us “to the end of our lives” (v. 14 nlt). He lovingly won’t waste our pain—and neither should we.