What is Going On?

I ask myself this question nearly every day of my life. What is going on? What is the point?
Life gets so messy and my life never looks like the lady's in Proverbs 31...or the women on television...or that woman sitting next to me at church...sigh.
It is so easy to envision everyone else as having it better than we do. But in truth we all struggle, Christians and non-Christians alike. We are all big bundles of mess. But as Christians we are given the promise in Romans 8:28 that whatever our mess is it will all work out for good in the end.
So why do good people suffer? I do not get that. But from history I know that what God says is true. Look at Joseph in the Old Testament. He got too cocky and his brothers almost murdered him for it. At the last minute they sold him into slavery. He was working at Potipher's house only to have his stupid wife come on to him. And then when he avoided her she set him up to look like he had gone through with the affair. Then he is imprisoned. He helps an employee of the king out, asking that he remember his name when the guy goes back to he king. Does he? Of course not. It is two more years before the guy remembers Joseph, and then it's just because he needs something from him. But it turns out that interpreting the king's dream gets Joseph in real good with the king. He becomes the second in command.
How long did all this take? I'm sure someone knows, but I am not good at math and I don't think it really matters. Playing the waiting game for 15 years or 15 minutes is too long when we are in an uncomfortable situation. David waited 16 years between when Samuel told him he would become king of Israel and when he actually took the throne.
My question is when you are in the waiting period, the uncomfortable times, do you just give up on God? Do you assume that He is no longer there?
People may fail you, but no matter what I can promise God never will. I have seen all sorts of people fail me, I have seen the church fail me. But God has never left my side.
I do not know why God allows certain things to happen. I will never understand why he allows a man to shoot little first graders or similar actions. All I have is the promise that things will work out if we trust God. And right now that is my hope.