I’m pretty convinced the business cycle exists. Historical evidence seems to support it and it fits with God’s design for most of creation. We have the cycle of seasons, day/night, lifecycle, predictable tide changes, etc. What causes the business cycle is a bit harder to define? Is it a change in productivity, aggregate demand, adoption of technology…? The list of possibilities put forth by economists is rather lengthy. The reality is probably all of the above.
I struggle to want to accept the “spiritual” cycles we experience in our relationships with Jesus. There are times when God seems so close, we want to pray, and the relationship is a joy. Then there are times when God seems far away and prayer is almost a chore. The latter has been my experience the last few months. I have battled frustration, discontentment, feelings of failure, and probably a few things that I have left out. Why do spiritual cycles exist? It’s easy to identify some things – our own complacency, busyness of life, distractions, and sin can all cause separation from God. But what about those times when it just seems to come out of nowhere? I read an excerpt from a John Ortberg book last night where he quotes C.S. Lewis.
“C.S. Lewis noted that at times God will send us a strong sense of his presence, a desire to be with him, the ability to withstand temptations with ease.
‘But He never allows this state of affairs to last long. Sooner or later He withdraws, if not in fact, at least from their conscious experience, all those supports and incentives. He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs—to carry out from the will alone duties which have lost all relish. It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be.’”
Does God sometimes “cause” the spiritual cycle for our own good? Yes, I think he does. I can attest that during the last few months I’ve been growing and learning how to trust God with things that are hard for me to release to Him.
He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it…Philippians 1:6