Moroni 10:22

And if ye have no hope ye must needs be in despair; and despair cometh because of iniquity.

God gives us afflictions, but he does not give us despair. Trials are mandatory but misery is optional. Righteousness brings peace even in the midst of hard times. Sin brings sorrow even in the best of times. We cannot choose our consequences in spite of our actions, but rather, we choose our consequences by our actions.

Ether 6:7

And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.

The Jaredites we're impervious to the waves and winds in their dish-like barges because they were prepared. When things got serious, they called on the Lord, who always brought them out of the emergency and the danger. Without the winds and waves, they wouldn't have progressed to the promised land. They would have been becalmed in the midst of the ocean. The ride might have been smoother, but they would have starved before they reached their destination. Being prepared and relying on God, we can weather the storms of life that make progress to the end of our mortal voyage.

Ether 2:25

And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?

God would not stop the winds, waves, and floods that would make the Jaredites' voyage so perilous, because those very forces would propel them to the promised land, but he could prepare them to withstand the storms. God likewise will not remove every challenge, affliction, and trouble from our lives, for the opposition we face causes us to grow and propels us towards God, but he can prepare us and strengthen us not only to survive but to succeed.

Christ can still the storm around us, but usually he chooses to still the storm within us. We want instant answers, quick fixes, and immediate relief, but God wants us to become saints, and that is a process that takes time. He is there for us, cheers us on, and provides instruction and a helping hand through the roughest spots, but he will not do for us what we have to do for ourselves. He loves us too much to rob us of our ultimate victory by removing our temporary inconveniences.

Ether 2:24

For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth.

We cannot avoid the trials of life. They are part of God's plan. He has sent them to be part of our experience. We need the water, waves, currents and winds to move our clumsy boats in the direction of the promised land. Without them, we would be stalled high and dry, unable to progress. Life might be pleasant sitting on the deck of our little boat on the top of a mountain for a while, but we would be going nowhere, and eventually we would get bored with the monotony. We are designed to travel in bad weather, to be buried from time to time, and to withstand the rigors of the gales and storms of life. In the midst of the raging fury, we must trust God's plan and know that he will raise us up to the surface from time to time so we can see the progress we are making.

4 Nephi 1:16

And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.

A Christ-centered life is a happy life. A life without sin is a happy life. These verses tell us that evil did not exist among these happy people. They do not say, however, that they had no challenges, sickness or trials. They still lived in a mortal world where things go wrong, bad things happen to good people, the sun does not always shine, children get sick, accidents happen, and loved ones die. Missing, however, were the unnecessary trials of sin. Life is hard enough without weighing ourselves down with foolish sins. Trials do not destroy happiness, but sin does. It is not the circumstances around us but the attitude within us that determines happiness.

3 Nephi 22:11

O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted! Behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.

Though we have been afflicted with guilt, the Lord can make our lives beautiful through his Atonement.

Helaman 15:3

Yea, wo unto this people who are called the people of Nephi except they shall repent, when they shall see all these signs and wonders which shall be showed unto them; for behold, they have been a chosen people of the Lord; yea, the people of Nephi hath he loved, and also hath he chastened them; yea, in the days of their iniquities hath he chastened them because he loveth them.

Because God loves us, he does all he can short of taking away our agency to get us to repent and come to him. Ideally he sends us specific correction through personal revelation from the Holy Ghost.  To get us to the point where we can hear his voice through the Spirit, he may send general correction through his servants the prophets. When we don't listen to the prophets, he may send us correction through personal and general trials and afflictions. As I have said many times, not every trial is the result of sin, but unrepented sins will surely bring affliction of one kind or another. As I have also said before, afflictions are not punishments. They may be tests, opportunities to grow, or wake-up calls, but God is generally not in the punishment business. Eternal justice will deliver punishment. God's whole work is to try to save us from justice, if we will let him.

Helaman 4:12-13

And it was because of the pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches, yea, it was because of their oppression to the poor, withholding their food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked, and smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek, making a mock of that which was sacred, denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing adultery, rising up in great contentions, and deserting away into the land of Nephi, among the Lamanites—And because of this their great wickedness, and their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength; therefore they did not prosper, but were afflicted and smitten, and driven before the Lamanites, until they had lost possession of almost all their lands.

While at least some of our afflictions come upon us because of our pride and disobedience, it is not always a one-to-one relationship. On an individual basis the consequences of sin seem to be more random. Wicked, greedy, selfish people may prosper financially and in other measurable ways, while righteous people seem to suffer in many ways. It must be this way or we could not exercise faith. But on a societal level and over long periods of time, the axiom proves true over and over: if ye (plural) keep God's commandments, ye (plural) shall prosper in the land, but if ye (plural) keep not the commandments, ye (plural) shall be cut off.

Alma 62:41

But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility.

The same war and suffering that hardened some hearts softened others. The difference is not in the affliction but in the attitude. We choose how we respond to everything that happens to us.

Alma 55:31

But behold, the Nephites were not slow to remember the Lord their God in this their time of affliction. They could not be taken in their snares; yea, they would not partake of their wine, save they had first given to some of the Lamanite prisoners.

When we remember God in our afflictions, then those afflictions are a blessing to us. Everyone has afflictions. The difference is how we respond to them. God's purpose in allowing affliction is to draw us to him and give us a weight against which our faith can push to build strength. The natural man wants to avoid all affliction and live a life of ease, but he is always frustrated, for comfort is not the goal of mortality. If we embrace the natural man, we curse God for our trials. On the other hand, if we embrace God and his will, though we will still have trials, the outcome will be to our eternal advantage and glory.

Alma 34:41

But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions.

Hope is the antidote of despair. Afflictions may seem to fill our lives and consume our days and threaten to overwhelm us. But they are never permanent. God is always at the end of the tunnel. What afflictions teach us is patience. We will need patience in the celestial kingdom because we will have imperfect children to deal with for a very long time. This life is where we begin to learn the lessons of patience. The reward of patience is hope.

Alma 32:14

And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word?

Most of us find it hard to humble ourselves sufficiently before the Lord, so he allows trials and afflictions to enter our lives as mechanisms to engender humility. Trials are such a waste of time, however. How much more efficient we can be if we approach humility of our own volition without the wasted suffering that usually precedes the humbling. We will still have trials even when we have set ourselves upon the path to humility, but they are trials to refine and multiply our virtues and prepare us for sanctification. The former trials are more course and are designed merely to kick us back into the game.

Alma 31:38

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And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith.

The Lord did not exempt his missionaries from afflictions, but he strengthened them to be able to bear them. He promised them perspective. They would recognize that preaching Christ is more important than being comfortable. They would suffer afflictions, not as a punishment, but as a way for them to bear testimony and witness for Christ. They would be comforted because they would know the purpose of their suffering. This can be true for all of us who bear witness of Christ. Our afflictions will be swallowed up in the joy of Christ.

Alma 31:5

And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.

Disasters and destruction can sometimes awaken a people to their plight when they are too stubborn to listen to preaching, but disasters do not convert any more than miracles convert. These events may get our attention, but only the Holy Ghost converts, and then only if we are willing.

Alma 26:28

And now behold, we have come, and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house, relying upon the mercies of the world—not upon the mercies of the world alone but upon the mercies of God.

Doing the Lord's will does not exempt us from trials. Ammon and his missionary companions were doing exactly what God wanted them to do, and they were totally faithful and obedient, and they still had difficult problems in their lives. An easy life is not a sign of righteousness nor are troubles a sign of unrighteousness or that God hates us. In some cases they are in fact a sign that we are on the right track.

Alma 25:6

For many of them, after having suffered much loss and so many afflictions, began to be stirred up in remembrance of the words which Aaron and his brethren had preached to them in their land; therefore they began to disbelieve the traditions of their fathers, and to believe in the Lord, and that he gave great power unto the Nephites; and thus there were many of them converted in the wilderness.

The purpose of afflictions is not to punish us but to stir us up to remember God. When we let them work in us the way God intends them to work, afflictions are marvelous blessings that bring us to God and enrich our relationship with him. His goal is not to make us comfortable but to make us joint-heirs with Christ.

Alma 8:31

And they had power given unto them, insomuch that they could not be confined in dungeons; neither was it possible that any man could slay them; nevertheless they did not exercise their power until they were bound in bands and cast into prison. Now, this was done that the Lord might show forth his power in them.

We learn over and over that bad things happen to good people. Being obedient and faithful does not give us a free pass through a carefree life. It is true that bad things can happen because of our bad choices or the bad choices of others. When troubles come, it does not mean that God has abandoned us or is angry with us. (Although when we are sinning he may let bad things happen to get our attention.) But even when we are doing our best, he may give us trials to strengthen us, to test us, to teach us patience, or to emphasize our dependence on him. In the case of Alma and Amulek, God let bad things happen so he could show forth his power in rescuing them. God always has a plan, and it is always calculated to save as many of his children as possible.

Alma 7:11-13

And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

Many aspects of Christ's atonement are described in these few verses. Christ suffered not only for our sins, but he suffered all things that we experience in mortality. He can help us in our troubles and afflictions because he has experienced them, endured them, and overcome them. He could have learned about us by the power of the Holy Ghost, but he wanted to know us directly so he could even better understand us and help us. He knows every temptation, and he knows how to resist it. He even knows how to overcome death. He is ready, able and willing to help us with everything we face in this life. We have but to ask.

Alma 4:3

And so great were their afflictions that every soul had cause to mourn; and they believed that it was the judgments of God sent upon them because of their wickedness and their abominations; therefore they were awakened to a remembrance of their duty.

When afflictions awaken us to our duty, they are not a curse but a blessing. Hard times are sometimes our best times.

Mosiah 27:32

And now it came to pass that Alma began from this time forward to teach the people, and those who were with Alma at the time the angel appeared unto them, traveling round about through all the land, publishing to all the people the things which they had heard and seen, and preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers, being smitten by many of them.

Just because we repent and turn our lives around does not mean everything will run smoothly from now on out. Sometimes our hardest times and greatest trials can come just at that point when we think we've got our game together. We are finally doing the right things. We are going to church, paying our tithing, attending the temple, and serving in our callings. We think we are making solid progress, and then the roadblocks appear, and the storms rage, and everything we do seems to go wrong. These are not the times to despair but to persevere. The blessings come after the trial of our faith. Trials are just tests, they are not judgments or punishments. If God didn't think we could stand the heat, he wouldn't put us in the furnace.