Why does God allow suffering?

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" - Epicurus Romans 8:18-30 (Text from ESV) "Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases." - Psalm 115:3 "...[God] works all things according to the counsel of his will." - Ephesians 1:11b "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:8 God has better things in store for you than you can imagine. "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." - Romans 8:18 "...we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame…" - Romans 5:3-5 God wants what is best for you even more than you do. "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." - Romans 8:26-27 "God will only give you what you would have asked for if you knew everything He knows." - Tim Keller "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…" - Genesis 50:20 God works everything together for your good. "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."- Romans 8:28 "Sometimes God allows what he hates to accomplish what he loves." - Joni Eareckson Tada "I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages." - Charles Spurgeon