What does God allow suffering?

What is the motive of the person asking the question?

Motive 1: The reason to reject God.
Premise 1: God allows sufferings in the world.
Premise 2: I cannot understand how God can allow these.
Conclusion: So there is no God or there is a god who is not worth believing in.

Premise 1: Lecturer gives low marks for my exam paper.
Premise 2: I cannot understand how the lecturer can do this.
Conclusion: So the lecturer does not exist or the lecturer is not worth to be trusted.

Premise 1: 1+1=2
Premise 2: I cannot understand how can 1+1=2
Conclusion: So 1+1=2 does not exist or 1+1=2 is not worth to be trusted.

In this sense, the person is very proud because he only accepts things that he understands and rejects things that he does not understand.

Motive 2: He/she has been through suffering(s).
God has good purpose behind the ‘suffering’ seems to be a weak statement if you told this to people who went through tsunami.

From the Book of Job, two lessons learnt:
1) God does not have to give us the answer to everything. (God did not give answers to Job but indirectly questioning back Job with other questions, Job 38)
2) Although sufferings happen but God is still in control. (Job 42)

From a bigger point of view, God is going to ‘heal’ the suffering world with the ultimate restoration.

Source: Discussion and response from my friend – ML, 20 March 2011