I have a rather flippant answer for why does bad stuff happen. I don't mean for it to be flippant but I'm certain it sounds that way. However, I get the answer straight from the Bible.  Here is the answer: to know God, really KNOW God. Many places in the Bible, things happen that are not "good" by our standards. Job lost his wealth and if that wasn't bad enough, he lost his children too. There was nothing (apparently) good about the situation. However, because of his great loss, he was able to gain strength in his knowledge of who God is and in his own trust in a good God.  As early as Exodus 4:5 , God states His reasons for doing something. " This ", said the LORD, " is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers -.....has appeared to you." In Exodus 8:10 , God, through Moses says "It will be as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God." Deuteronomy 4 :35 states that ...