Lydia: A woman with an open heart

“And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.”

Acts 16:14 [KJV]

I was recently reading a list of prayer points, and one stood out: “pray the Lord would open hearts to the Gospel message”.

This thought comes from Acts 16:14, which says, “And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.”

The account of Lydia’s conversion and ministry tells us the origins of the church in Philippi, which thrived and became known for sending out of labourers and its generous missionary support (Philippians 4:15-18). But Lydia's story is remarkable in itself too, and is a great encouragement to all Christian women. So, let’s summarise the account, then look at some important lessons we can apply.

In Acts 16, the Apostle Paul was on his second missionary journey. While he intended to stay in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), “the Spirit suffered them not” (v7), and he and his ministry team concluded “that the Lord had called us for to preach the Gospel unto [Macedonia]” (modern-day Greece) (v10).  They re-routed to Philippi, the chief city in Macedonia, and on the Sabbath, Paul shared the gospel with a group of Jewish women praying by the riverside. One of the women, Lydia, responded and was baptised, along with members of her household. Lydia gratefully hosted Paul and his companions at her house – until Paul and Silas were arrested – and it’s to her house they returned after their release to comfort the brethren before continuing their missionary travels.

The first encouragement we see in Lydia’s story is that God “is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6b). Lydia was not a Christian when Paul met her but her presence at the prayer meeting and willingness to listen to Paul’s preaching showed she was seeking after God. And God answered, just as he promised Judah in Jeremiah 29:13, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart”. Similarly, Jesus said, “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Luke 11:9). The Lord answered Lydia’s prayers by sending Paul to preach the Word of God to her, and opened her heart to understand the message. This ‘opening of the heart’ is not the false doctrine of Calvinist election, but rather what we call ‘illumination’, the Holy Spirit giving understanding to receptive hearts through the Word of God. Psalm 119:130 says, "The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” God gives light at salvation and continues to reward faith and prayer in His children: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him" (James 1:5). If we’re honest, we’ll admit we all lack wisdom, so let’s seek the Lord, and be encouraged by Lydia’s testimony of a God who rewards faith.

Another encouragement in this account is the insight we gain into God’s sovereignty and leading. Paul and his team originally intended to go to Asia and Bithynia (vs 6-7), yet – we’re not told exactly how – they “were forbidden of the Holy Ghost” (v6) and “the spirit suffered them not” (v7). Instead, Paul had a vision of a man saying, “Come over into Macedonia, and help us” (v9) and concluded “that the Lord had called us for to preach the Gospel unto them” (v10). Paul obeyed and travelled by ship and road to Macedonia’s main city, Philippi …but there was no sight of the man from the vision. There was no apparent interest in the things of God, and no synagogue, indicating the city had a very small Jewish population. All Paul found, after coming all that way, and deviating so much from his original plans, was a group of ladies having a prayer meeting. Yet the Lord was at work, saving first Lydia and her household, and then, after many days (v18), a jailer and his household. Lo and behold, Philippi, the first known church in Europe was founded. How? Why? Because one man obeyed God, and one woman prayed. Oh, how much we need men to preach and women to pray! Scripture and history tell us personal, church and national revival always begins with prayer. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). May we all be mature Christian women, willing to fight spiritual battles in prayer (Ephesians 6:12), and obedient to God’s leading in our lives!

The third encouragement in this passage is found in how Lydia became a key enabler of Paul’s ministry in Philippi. Sometimes specific people are called into a specific ministry, but Lydia’s ministry is within the scope of all Christian women. Lydia, firstly, had a ministry of hospitality. Acts 16:15b records, “she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.” Now, for different reasons, not all of us can invite the guest preacher to stay. I live with my parents, so anyway, if I invite people over, technically my parents are hosting them rather than me? But the dictionary definition of hospitality, is “the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers” (Oxford Dictionary). That’s a broad definition. Romans 12:13b commands us to “be given to hospitality” and 1 Peter 4:9 states “Use hospitality one to another without grudging.” We can show God’s love by being friendly and caring towards visitors and strangers at church, at home, in the community. We can be generous with our time, food, resources, conversation and friendships. And we can instigate and promote good clean fun and fellowship – what a joy it is to be able to laugh at people’s jokes without having to worry about whether they contain dirty double meanings! Secondly, Lydia used her income from selling purple dyed fabric to support Paul’s ministry. It’s wonderful to have income to tithe, not just because the Lord loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7) but because we’re investing in an eternal work, the salvation of souls. Thirdly, we see Lydia’s choice to hear Paul led also to the salvation of other household members. Scripture doesn’t tell us who was in her household, but somewhere between Lydia being saved and Lydia being baptised, members of her household were saved too, because they were baptised as well. Perhaps Lydia did what the disciple Andrew did, who “first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ” (John 1:41). We’re all called to share the gospel (1 Peter 3:15), so let’s boldly share and invite people to church, especially at Christmas time. Who knows, our obedience may result in souls saved!

This record of Lydia’s conversion and ministry is such an encouragement. May we, whose hearts the Lord has opened, be strengthened and challenged in our walk with God. Let us remember that God rewards faith, there is power in prayer and obedience, and to trust God for practical ways to minister to others.