Women Working Boldly: A Study of Lydia in Acts 16Sample

Lydia’s Faith

Although Lydia was not a Christian when she decided to gather up her girlfriends for a spiritual gathering, the Scriptures make it clear that when she met Paul outside the city gates of Philippi she bore the marks of a pious woman, taking leadership of a group formed for prayer.

Growing spiritually, as Lydia shows us, can mean taking our first steps toward God when we are unsure he exists or cares. Lydia sought God even though she hadn’t heard the name Jesus yet.

As Lydia listened to Paul’s message, the “Lord opened her heart to understand” the Gospel (Acts 16:14). Yes! Of course, he did. None of us can understand the Gospel otherwise. And so began Lydia’s faith journey. After hearing the redemption message of Jesus, Lydia returned home, shared the Gospel with her whole family, and brought them back to the riverside for Paul to baptize them as a unit. 

Lydia and her girlfriends probably never conceived of getting in on the ground level of a worldwide revolution. Maybe Lydia just decided week after week to use her day of rest to fill the God-sized hole in her heart. Maybe the gravitational pull toward the things of eternity was the only motivation she needed to round up the people around her. Her invitation was the catalyst for all of her friends and family experiencing the unconditional love of the Father.

Prayer:

Father, I have a gravitational pull towards you and I know now that is your Holy Spirit. I pray that you will help me be more aware of your work in my life, and that I would have the courage to invite my coworkers to join in discussions of spiritual things so they may also start the path toward a relationship with you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.