Outside the city of Philippi, by a riverside, each sabbath day a few women assembled for prayer. See Acts 16:13.
A riverbank was a favorite resort for this purpose where there was no synagogue, and these praying women were evidently Jewish, although the city was itself sunk in heathen idolatry.
Among them was Lydia of Thyatira, a seller of the richly-dyed goods for which her native town was famous.
She was a Grecian woman, but had become a worshiper of the God of Israel.
Consequent upon the vision of a Macedonian crying for help, the Apostle Paul, accompanied by Silas and apparently also by the physician Luke, and Timothy, had reached Philippi, being the bearers of the "gospel of the glory" received directly from the risen and exalted Lord. Hearing of the resort for prayer, they joined the little company of women at the riverside and sat down and spoke with them about the things of God.
Lydia listened, and as she listened, the Lord gave her the capacity to receive the divine message of love and grace, for, in the beautifully expressive words of Scripture, the work in her soul is described thus—"whose heart the Lord opened," with the result that "she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul."
She was ready and desirous to learn, and the Lord saw that she did not lack the opportunity. He had His eye on a little company of saints who later on were to be for His glory in testimony in this very city, and a great source of joy and cheer to the beloved Apostle. Lydia was to be one of the number, and this was her preparation.
What an inestimable blessing it is to have "an open heart"—opened by the Lord Himself and thus fitted to receive, and to respond to, divine communications!
When Lydia's heart was opened she attended to the things spoken by Paul, and I feel this to be significant.
Many of "the things which were spoken of Paul," and dictated to him by the Spirit of God, are still on record, handed down to us in the Scriptures of truth. Have we attended to them as God's communications to us?
They are full of wondrous, deep, searching truths, especially encouraging and necessary in these closing days of the Church's history on earth to all those who, on account of possessing opened hearts, desire to respond intelligently and in true affection to the Lord's will for His own.
Lydia may have had only this one opportunity, during the Apostle's stay in the city, of hearing what was in the heart of God for her, but she made the most of it.
She was baptized as was her household; that is, she definitely and publicly identified herself with Christ's death, putting herself and all she possessed under the Lord's control; then she besought the Lord's servants—"constraining" them (a strong word meaning that she could not take a refusal) to come to her house and abide there. There was one condition; however—if they judged her to be faithful to the Lord—and they evidently did. What a triumph of grace!
She was once a heathen, but the Lord made an entrance into her heart. She listened to God's communications through Paul; she attended to them, definitely linked herself with the Lord's interests, owned His control over herself and all her own, earnestly desired to be faithful to Him, and consequently opened her house to His servants. Have we made as much spiritual progress as Lydia?
A true work of God was begun in that city, so Satan could not let it alone. He tried to spoil it by craft and through the testimony of an evil spirit possessing a young girl, who repeatedly proclaimed that the apostles were the servants of the Most High God.
Paul had spiritual discernment to detect that this was said to elate them, and if allowed, would mix what was of God with evil. If what the possessed damsel asserted was true, that they were the servants of the Most High God (and it was, only the time was anticipated, this being God's millennial name), the evil spirit must submit to the power present there by being driven away. "Paul... turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour."
Oh! the power of that name. The enemy flees before it.
Persecution and imprisonment followed for God's servants, but it bore fruit in the conversion and baptism of the jailor and his household, another triumph over the power of Satan exerted against God's truth.
The result of the hatred and tumult raised by him as a last resource is very marked—(1) Paul and Silas sang praises to God. The victims of Satan's hate were rejoicing and exultant. (2) The prison doors were burst open by God's intervention.
(3) The jailor and his family were eternally blessed. (4) The magistrates were obliged to come as suppliants to the Apostle.
Satan was unmistakably frustrated.-
How had all this affected Lydia? Had all the opposition and persecution shaken her faith? On the contrary; the Apostle showed-utmost confidence in her, and indeed judged her faithful to the Lord, for, being released from prison he and Silas immediately went to her house, where they were certain of a welcome. Then, after seeing and comforting the brethren, they started on their journey to Thessalonica.
It would be well for us to question whether we, like this devout woman of God, would be likewise judged faithful to the Lord. Have we, like Lydia, open hearts and open homes? "Whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation." Heb. 13:7