Be encouraged that as time goes by and it looks like the land is fallow and little is being sown and little is being harvested.

God is at work in ways that you would never imagine.

This really, brothers and sisters, the only thing that keeps me going in many times of ministry.

God's Providence means that he is always at work in our lives even when it seems he is not.

In this episode of Light and Truth,

John Piper encourages us with God's unseen works of providential care.

This seminar was originally given

at Bethlehem Baptist Church on November 15, 1995.

Let's go to the birth of Jesus. This has for years and years amazed me such that I wrote a Advent poem about it years ago. I'll read it to you here in minutes, a shorter one, it's not one of the long ones, because it's old. They get longer as time goes by.

The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem as a fulfillment of prophecy.

Mycah-52,

As for you, Bethlehem, Ephrtha, who little to be among the clans of Judah, from you, one will go forth for me to be a ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago from the days of

eternity. All right.

Now here we are about 500 years before the birth of Jesus.

And the Prophet says that Bethlehem will be the place from which, from you Bethlehem, will go forth

for me a ruler in Israel, the Messiah.

So God has committed himself to Bethlehem.

Bethlehem is going to be the place.

Okay? So why does he choose a virgin in Nazareth?

This complicates matters. Why not a virgin in Bethlehem where the House of

David is mainly? mainly. Here's the story.

Now, I came about in those days that a decree went out from the Caesar.

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