The Lord Opened Her Heart, and She Responded
Several years ago, I had the privilege of being in the ancient city of Philippi on my birthday. I will always remember that day because my “Hubby” took my picture at the river spot, where it is said that Lydia was baptized. It is possible that this was not the exact spot where she was baptized, but it would be very close as it is not far outside the city walls. There was no Jewish synagogue in Philippi (this was a Roman colony), so it was likely that the Jews (and others) would meet near this spot, at the river (near running water).
“…we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. Lydia said, If you consider me a believer in the Lord (the King James translation says, if you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord), come and stay at my house. And she persuaded us.” Acts 16:12-15 NIV
What do we know about Lydia?
We know that she was away from her hometown, Thyatira. Thyatira, a city of Asia-Minor, was about 300 miles away from Philippi. This city was famous for its purple dye. The dye was very expensive. The cloth this dye was used on would have been very expensive. We are told that Lydia was a dealer in purple cloth. Her business was probably a competitive one, because she would have catered to the wealthy class of Philippi.
When her family is spoken of, a husband or children are not mentioned. So, we know little of her situation other than, she and the members of her household were baptized. It is very possible that she was supporting herself and the members of her household.
We also know that Lydia was a worshiper of Jehovah God. She was probably a Gentile who converted to Judaism. In verse 14, the word for worshiper in the “Greek is Sebomai. It means she was a worshiper of the one true God.” Quote from The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible. Apparently, Lydia was faithful in her worship of Jehovah God, because she had made the choice to observe the Sabbath instead of selling her purple cloth in the Agora (market place) in Philippi that day.
Write down your thoughts about Miss Lydia ~ What do you think of her, personally?
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I can close my eyes and imagine the scene as Lydia and her friends sat along the banks of the Gangites river. It was here that they found peace and quiet on the Sabbath, away from the noise, the conducting of business and the worship of other gods in the city of Philippi. What a beautiful account the Scripture gives us as to why Paul and his companions came to be at the very spot Lydia and her friends were at that day (see Acts 16:6-10). Their presence there that day was not by chance. It was by the power of the Holy Spirit and Paul’s vision from the Spirit that led him, along with Silas and Timothy, to the banks of the Gangites river that day. I believe that Lydia, a Gentile, must have had a great desire to know the God of the Jewish people. The Holy Spirit must have orchestrated Lydia’s presence at the river that day ~ that very day and hour that Paul and his companions would be there.
As Lydia listened to Paul preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, her heart was opened by the Lord. Several years ago I was with a person who was sharing the Gospel message with a woman. After this person explained the Gospel, this person said, would you like to go home and think about it before you accept Christ? My thought was, why does she need to think about it and if you believe the Holy Spirit has drawn this women to seek you out to share the hope of Jesus, why would you even ask her that question? My point is that I don’t believe Lydia needed to think about it at all, and Paul certainly was not going to ask her to. Do you? It’s obvious that the Holy Spirit is at work here, and the messenger of the Gospel was unashamed and confident.
Lydia made her decision without any hesitation. She was so certain of her decision to follow Jesus that she quickly converted her whole household. I would love to have been there that day to hear her explosive heart for Jesus, speaking boldly, entreating her household to follow her lead to make the right choice, and be baptized.
I’m sure that Lydia not only wanted to care for the needs of Paul and his companions, but also to know more about Christ and His truth. The Scripture says that after all were baptized, she invited Paul and his companions into her home. She said, if you consider me a believer ~ if you have judged me to be faithful ~ if you have faith in my conversion, come and stay at my house. She persuaded them to do so. Lydia must have radiated with the Spirit of God and showed perseverance in her commitment. After being set free from prison, Paul and Silas headed straight for Lydia’s house (see Acts 16:40). I would say that when Paul and Silas walked in the door of her house, they were met with many new Christians waiting to hear of how the doors of the prison flew open and their chains were loosed (see Acts 16:26). After all, (I believe) Lydia and her household had prayed continuously for Paul and Silas, while they were in prison.
In Lydia, I see a heart and a home that will always be open to the followers of Christ. Her heart and home will be a haven, supplying needs and comfort. We can judge her, the first to be converted, faithful. She was the first to be baptized, the first to open her house, at Philippi. We would never see her hiding her light under a lampshade. Her light shines, not only in her household, but still today for us to see. (see Matthew 5:14-16)
Thoughts and Questions to Ponder
Lydia was a receiver and a responder. She didn’t have to think about what she was going to do. She accepted Christ and His message, and the messenger. She responded immediately. She didn’t have to wait for something special to come along, to do for Jesus. Everyday is special with the Lord. Allow Him to open your heart up to the daily world around you.
Are you a receiver and a responder? ________________________________________
Is your heart open daily to the world around you?______________________________
Lord, that my heart would be opened to your Holy Spirit, as receiver of your direction, reponder to the needs of others and imparting your message of hope! I long for that simplicity. I do not wait for something special to come along. That something special is already here! Amen
This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 at 9:53 pm and is filed under Bible Studies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
May God bless you! Oh, and my name is Lydia but that isn’t why we are studying her haha 
