Lydia

By Alex Florez

Scripture Reading: Acts 16:1-40

Once upon a time, I had a student named Lydia. She was the kind of kid every teacher wants in class: joyful, attentive, bright, polite, and curious. She was a stellar student, athlete, and friend, but what I loved most about Lydia was the way she lit up whenever we talked about Jesus.

Interestingly enough, she bears a striking resemblance to the lady from today’s reading, who was “a God-fearing woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira.” She was listening to those sharing about Jesus when “the Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying” (Acts 16:14). Minus the purple cloth thing, my former student reflects these traits to a tee: she is “God-fearing,” an avid listener, and one whose heart has been opened by the Lord to receive and respond to the gospel.

Reflecting on the similarities between these two Lydias made me wonder how our personal lives, our local churches, and the Church at large might benefit from adopting some “Lydian” behaviors.

The Greek verb in the phrase translated as “God-fearing”, seboménē, might also be rendered as “one who devoutly reveres and worships.” My student Lydia’s devotion to the Lord blossomed in school, and I witnessed how it positively impacted everyone around her. And in reading Acts 16, we see how Lydia’s God-fearing heart had the power to inspire a city-wide interest in God. Worshipping in spirit and truth draws people toward Jesus, the Light of the World.

In an era when people seem to have given up listening to one another, students like Lydia remind me that there are still Christ-followers out there who are slow to speak and quick to listen—to each other and to the Lord himself. Because Lydia of Thyatira sat and listened to Paul talking and praying, she was moved to invite him to stay at her house, thus giving him a temporary home base from which to preach the gospel. Imagine what miracles could be set in motion if only we learned to listen more closely to the people around us!

Stop and consider the blessings that proceeded from the opening of Lydia’s heart we read about today—the prisoners set free, the new believers baptized, a movement launched. These events proceeded from the willingness of a God-fearing woman who listened and responded to the Holy Spirit. As a result, the world would never be the same—not just there in first-century Philippi but throughout the Mediterranean region, and eventually, all across the planet.

I get really excited imagining what God can do with the life of my former student Lydia and others like her throughout the world. What impact would it have on God’s kingdom on earth if we aimed to be more devout in our worship of the Lord, if we all practiced the discipline of listening, and if we responded to the miracle of faith God has planted in our hearts? Makes me want to be more like the Lydias and then marvel at what the Lord can do.

Written by Alex Florez