“Why does God withdraw from the life of the Christian? The first reason is that our nature is not yet conformed to the pattern of divine life revealed to us in the first grace. Second, grace may be withdrawn as a punishment when man falls into a sin. The third reason is that the Christian can no longer keep a humble spirit and falls into vainglory and self-satisfaction. Fourth, a very important and holy reason which we often see in the lives of the ascetics, is that grace withdraws by the providence of God.”
(Archimandrite Peter on the ‘Justice of God in Stages’)