Lydia, Whose Heart The Lord Opened

Women today are in all sorts of top jobs, with a real push for women to take their place at the 'top table' in all kinds of business and professions. Lydia, the woman Paul and Silas met when they went to a Jewish prayer meeting on the banks of the river in Philippi, was a business woman selling top of the range goods and her customers would have been top of the range people. Lydia was from the city of Thyatira which was famous for its luxurious purple cloth.

As Paul and Silas told the Gospel to the few people at the prayer meeting, Lydia's heart warmed to the message about Jesus and we read that "The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul" (v14). Lydia was converted. Her life was changed and her home soon became the meeting place for the Christians in Philippi.

I think it must have been a real encouragement for Paul and Silas as they met with that small group of people to find that the message they brought became such a blessing to Lydia and maybe to the others as well. We are told that Lydia's household — maybe her family and others who worked for her — were baptised as believers. We find God was at work there and he worked through Paul to bring people to faith in Jesus. That's still how it is today.

Pray that as you go to church on Sunday God will open the hearts of people to respond to the Gospel as the minister preaches.