Let me first address the question in the subject, “Is there a reason for everything?” Yes, certainly there is a reason for all events. Mrs. Jones’ little girl was run over by a truck for a reason. The little girl ran into the street without looking. But it seems that this is not the real question.
I would guess that every human action has a purpose. If not, the person would not perform that action, would he? Or would some people perform random actions without a purpose? I can’t think of any examples. Even if a person flings his arms up into the air and flails them around, he has a purpose in doing so.
But I don’t think this was the real question either. I suspect that the real question is, "Is God the cause of all events? Or are some events random? What is meant by random? Do you mean events which have no cause? If that’s the case, I say there are no random events. But this does not imply determinism. Some events, are caused by human beings (or perhaps by animals). Events are not necessarily caused by other events (as in contemporary philosophy).
Man was created in the image of God. One of the ways in which man is the image of God is that man has free will. Normally God does not interfere with free will. So when an evil man rapes and kills a little girl, God does not cause this to happen for a “deeper purpose”. Nor does He “allow” the event to occur for a deeper purpose. Yet, in spite of the horror of the event, God can bring good out of it. The evil act was not “random”; it was done purposely ---- not God’s purpose, but the evil man’s purpose.
I affirm that God does not cause or “allow” every event for a purpose. Rather God has nothing to do with most events. They are the result of human choice. I think even natural disasters are not directly caused by God, but are the result of “the fall” of man through Adam and Eve. What about mosquitoes? Did God create them to bug people? I don’t think so. My hypothesis was that the original mosquitoes did not suck the blood of animals to produce their young, but sucked the juices of plants. Then one day, about a year later, I happened to read in a science book that an experiment was done in which mosquitoes were isolated in a green house where they had no access to animals or people. It was found that they sucked the juices of plants and were able to produce their young just as well! I was truly amazed to read of this experiment.
This is not to say that God is not involved in affairs here on earth. He even occasionally interferes with people’s choices, or intervenes to protect some one through a miracle. But such events are rare.
God’s choice usually not to act in human affairs, or to prevent the many atrocities which some people commit, does not imply that God is not sovereign or does not direct the affairs of the universe. But it does imply that He does meticulously control every event. This fact demonstrates how wise and powerful God really is! He can bring about His will ---- even the reconciliation of all people to Himself, without interfering with free will, or forcing Himself upon mankind.