My favorite quote on this subject came from Pres. Kimball in Faith Precedes the Miracle,
"Is there not wisdom in his giving us trials that we might rise above them, responsibilities that we might achieve, work to harden our muscles, sorrows to try our souls? Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience, death that we might be immortalized and glorified?I think that most of this goes along with the idea that we suffer, in large part, to better ourselves and to create gods out of men, even when suffering is caused by someone else's bad choice. (Rom 8:28) But I like his illusion to the fact that if there weren't suffering, we would indeed be following Satan's plan and not that of a loving God. It's an odd paradox, but I don't think we would have suffering in this world if we were not the children of a loving Father. Satan's plan, to return all to heaven by force, would have required no suffering (or very little - even the donkey quickly learns to seek the carrot rather than the stick) but who would we be after such a life on earth? How could we hope to continue in the heavens, to have eternal life as opposed to mere immortality, if we were mindless robots who were simply used to following where we were led? God, while He does ask for obedience, requires faith and a willingness to endure. Thus good is not always rewarded with good. Sometimes consequences follow only after a prolonged waiting period. Life is sticky, chaotic and messy. But I think that all of this suffering and craziness is to point us back to God, to allow Him to make it work for our betterment and to turn our God given weaknesses into strengths (Ether 12:27).
"If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith.
"If joy and peace and rewards were instantaneously given the doers of good, there could be no evil - all would do good but not because of the rightness of doing good. There would be no test of strength, no development of character, no growth of powers, no free agency, only satanic controls.
"Should all prayers be immediately answered according to our selfish desires and our limited understanding, then there would be little or no suffering, sorrow, disappointment, or even death, and if these were not, there would also be no joy, success, resurrection, nor eternal life and godhood."
Finally, I don't think that God is a finite God. I believe Him to be omniscient, omnipotent and omni everything. I do believe that He can be finite in action but it is because He chooses to be finite not because He is. As I thought about all of this, I can't explain why this is an easy thing for me to accept (theoretically, in the fire I think it all sucks) but I couldn't help thinking of raising my own children. It drives me crazy to tell them no. I want to lavish them with anything and everything their little hearts desire. I want to give them all the experiences they want, to make them the best at everything and to remove every boulder or even pebble that would cause them the slightest anguish. But I know that I cannot. I, unlike God, don't have the power, but even if I did, I wouldn't. I want them to learn who they are, to experience the down sides and gain compassion. I want them to hurt and to be grateful for when that pain ends. I want them to taste it all and to know, for certain, for themselves, what they want and what they are choosing. In the end, I think God's means and ends are similar. He doesn't want Heaven full of spoiled brats with hands out looking for more ease; He wants people who have chosen to be there in spite of all.
