Crap At Theology

I'm often still puzzled by the question of why a loving God allows great and unnecessary suffering. A child falls ill, and after four years of prayer for her healing, she dies anyways. A giant tsunami wipes out tens and hundreds of thousands of innocents. A young man drops dead of a brain aneurysm.

I trust God. I know that a big part of faith is trusting that God is in control even when things get bad for no discernible reason. But what do you say to one whose faith has been weakened and battered time and time again, till it's all but gone? To one who believes that God is distant and unconcerned with man's suffering?

I'm crap at theological discussions. I don't know how to answer these questions for someone with a more philosophical/theological mind. I've developed faith out of desperation. I don't know how to assist someone seeking it through reason.