Long answer, I really believe one has to examine each on a case by case basis to understand why certain things happen. Is it to teach? Promote faith? Punish? The result of someone else using their agency? There simply is no one good answer.
Take for example, the recent earthquakes in Japan. That earthquake affected so many millions of lives, that one cannot simply throw out a blanket statement as "God was punishing them for XYZ" because there were many, many good and innocent people affected by this disaster. Could God simply have been trying to teach all of humanity a lesson? Perhaps. I will not pretend to even guess the real reason.
One of His prophets wrote "Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.
And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him."So could God have done this, or other things like Hurricane Katrina, or something on a far more personal scale such as making you forget where you placed your car keys the night before, simply because He wants you to remember Him? Is it because of ego? I would submit that ego is the last thing on his mind, rather, we need to remember Him for our benefit. When we remember God, we tend to love our fellow man more, we tend to be more friendly, we tend to do more good.
I have noticed this same pattern in my own life. Things will being going great, everything going my way, and suddenly I don't pray with the same intensity. Why? Because in my limited vision, I don't feel that need. I have everything I could possibly want and need. Because of this, I separate myself spiritually from His presence, I forget from whom everything I have came, and I start to feel like maybe He owes me. I continue on this path until something happens that makes me suddenly realize I NEED HELP. So I pray with intensity. God in his goodness sees I have changed, and grants me prosperity again. Lather, rinse and repeat.
That is one reason bad things may happen to good people.
The one I struggle most with is kids, especially young kids that are still innocent. Reading of the tragedies bad parents cause just makes me lose all hope that we are worth saving on some days.
"But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." Quite the strong message coming from the Prince of Peace. But these would be examples of bad things happening as a result of someone using their agency.
But what about when good people, especially young children, get sick? What could be the reason behind that? Is it to help the parents find God? Maybe. Is it that the child is too precious they are to be spared the pains of mortality? Maybe. I think this one case where there is no blanket feel good answer. One simply has to trust that God does have a plan, and in some way, this plays a part in the bigger picture. While I hope that I never, ever, have to watch my one of my children go through something like cancer, or some other horrible disease, my heart goes out to those that do.
Perhaps, one of the most eye opening statements from God
"And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if you be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good."
While not always apparent, God does love us, always and forever. Try to find that in each difficult time.
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