Why does God allow suffering?

This is one of the most often asked questions in the world. And it is disturbing how few Christians (even pastors and teachers) can offer a Biblically correct answer. Books have been written on the subject, and even graced the best seller shelves in Christian bookstores. And if I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times--it goes something like this... "God uses trials and suffering to make us strong, teach us to trust Him, prepare us for the future, teach us to slow down, etc., etc." We are taught to thank God for all our problems, because "if we didn't have them, we couldn't see Him solve them", and so on.
There are also those who go to another extreme...
In a West virginia town nearby, the last of twelve victims of a mining disaster were recently laid to rest. Outside the church where the memorial service was being conducted were members of a certain church group who have been taught that God causes pain and suffering as a form of punishment. These people traveled several hundred miles to protest the funeral. They held picket signs saying things like, "God killed the miners", and "This was God's punishment".
Ridiculous? Of course it is. Jesus rebuked His own disciples once for even thinking along those lines, and I am sure His message for the picket sign holders would be the same... "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." (Luke 9:55-56)
God is in the saving business--not the killing business.
But what about that first list of typical answers? Actually, they are also examples of Biblically incorrectness.
The basic reason for suffering is found in Genesis. It was not the plan of God that man would ever know suffering, sickness, pain, or any form of torment. Adam and Eve were given dominion over all of creation (Gen. 1:26, Ps. 8:6). Their bodies would have lived forever, every cell reproducing itself without the corruption we now call 'aging'. Even the knowledge of good and evil was not permitted. It was not until after Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of the tree of knowledge, that they experienced evil (calamity) and longed for good (blessing). God warned Adam that spiritual death would be the immediate result of disobedience (Gen. 2:17), and the earth would subsequently fall under a curse.
Adam and Eve fell from their relationship with God and were cut off from the constant influence of His life and nature. The dominion over creation they once hand, was lost. Provision would now be by the 'sweat of the brow', child birth would be in pain, and out of their new inward nature of spiritual death would ultimately proceed fear, strife, torment, pain, and suffering of every kind. Only by His meercy, would God in future times intervene and bless the man or woman who exercised faith and obedience to His Word.
The man and woman who at one time were without sin, had become its captives. Every child born to them and to their children throughout all generations (except for the one born in a manger in Bethlehem) would be born with the tendency to sin and the constant need for God to intervene and give refuge from the trials of life. Since the time man, by his own choice, walked away from the trial-free life god had given him, the earth fell under the curse of a growing hardship. Why do we face suffering? We were born into it.
The good news is, that in spite of the sinful condition of man, God still loves the world so much He sent His Son to die for us and to be raised from death's grip in victory for us. Through faith in His redemptive accomplishment, we have once again gained favor with God and free access to the 'Throne of grace', that we might receive help in any time of need.
Instead of spending all our time asking "Why", we should be praising God for His love and salvation, and praying in faith for help in our times of trial--not for an understanding of the trial itself. Jesus gave the answer to the question in a much more concise way, when He said...
"These thing I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
The answer really is simple. We see so much suffering because we live in a world where, but for the mercy of God, we would have long ago been annihilated. As long as our focus is on the world and its suffering, we have no peace. But since we, through faith, now have a relationship and right-standing with the One who has overcome the world and the very source of suffering, we have a peace that surpasses natural reasoning. For that reason we can choose to change our focus, following after that peace, and rely on Jesus to intervene in our individual situations.
The bottom line?
Suffering is common in this sin-tainted world. Jesus is not the source of tribulation, He overcame the source of tribulation. Trials are not sent by God to His people for training, strengthening, or any such thing. He sent His Word for that, and for deliverance from the trials of life (Ps. 107:20). We are taught in the Scriptures to give thanks, not 'for' the trials, but in the midst of them--to give thanks to God for Who He is and what He has done for us, in order to provide a victorious life here and eternal life beyond. To God be the glory, forever!