When God Seems Silent During Hard Times

In the last Chapters of A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis talks more about God than he does the suffering of his wife's death and his pain without her.  The reader gets to see Lewis questioning God and basically asking God to put himself in his shoes and see how you would feel.  Lewis asks God, " Lord,are these your real terms? Can I meet H. again only if I learn to love you so much that I don't care whether I meet her or not? Consider, Lord, how it looks to us.  What would anyone think of me if I said to the boys, 'No toffee now. But when you've grown up and don't really want toffee you shall have as much of it as you choose'?" I think we try to bargain with God and tell God to "step" in our shoes but God actually already knows how we feel.  I think anyone questioning God like can relate and feel like God isn't fair.  Also, Lewis, like many Christians and people seeking God, ask questions to God about why he won't answer our prayers.  He does seem at times silent when we think we most need Him, but he really never left us, but is only not telling us because He knows what's best.  It's so easy to think like this and I have done it so many times when I want answers. God isn't a genie who is supposed to grant us our wishes and what we want, but He is our creator and knows our needs at the time.  For example, Lewis realizes this by saying, "When I lay these questions before God I get no answer. But a rather special sort of 'no answer'. It is not the locked door. It is more like a silent, certainly not uncompassionate, gaze. As though He shook His head not in refusal but waiving the question. Like, 'Peace, child; you don't understand'.  He is basically saying that when you are going through a tough time and need God's answers, He hasn't shut the door on you and given up on you or doesn't care about what you're going through.  God is merely just waiting there with you patiently being silent because He knows the outcome of your situation and for us to be patient and have peace that God will take care of our worries.  These few passages provide great details to what kind of God He is to his people.  These several paragraphs could definately help someone in either doubt of God, or someone who can't figure out why God "isn't there".  This shows that we don't need to know all of life's answers, but to just trust that God will handle our problems and be there for us.  I really enjoyed this chapter because it provides so much clarity to God and how great He really is to us.