Lydia: a story of divine intervention, open hearts and generous hospitality

Lydia was a Gentile woman from Thyatira in Asia Minor. When she is introduced in Acts 16:14, she is a successful businesswoman in Philippi. She was a dealer of purple cloth which was prized and expensive. Lydia was also the head of her household. She may have been widowed or single. So strong was her faith that her entire household followed her example and were baptized. She extended hospitality to Paul and his companions even after their imprisonment (Acts 16:16-40). Lydia has the distinction of being Paul’s first convert in Europe and the first member of the Philippian church. Lydia’s story is more than just another conversion story in Acts. Her story is an example of hospitality and God’s divine intervention as he sees our hearts and recognizes the hunger and need for closeness with Him. 

At a makeshift place of worship on the edge of the Gangites River, a group of women hears the gospel. Paul speaks of Jesus, his teachings, his crucifixion and resurrection from the grave. He is the Messiah, the merciful and holy one who has come to save all people. Among the women was Lydia, a successful and well-known businesswoman in a world when women were not given the same respect as men. She may have had the education and the skill as well as the strength and determination to work in a male-dominated society. As a Gentile, Lydia was open. willing to and wanting to know more about the God who was powerful enough to part the sea and yet tender enough to yearn for his people and send His Son. Tears running down her face, she feels the longing and the pull toward God as God opened her heart to the gospel (Acts 16:14). There on the river’s edge, Lydia and her household were baptized. She insisted Paul and Silas and other travel companions, possibly Luke and Timothy, accept her hospitality and stay at her home. Her home may have become the center for the church of Philippi. 

Lydia may have been an influential and respected person in Philippi and inviting Paul and his companions was not only courageous but radical and unconventional for the time period. Was she hospitable before her conversion? We don’t know. She may have felt the sudden inspiration to offer them a place to stay. Hospitality is very important to God as he reminds believers to offer hospitality without grumbling (1 Peter 4:9), even to strangers as we may entertain angels without realizing it (Hebrews 13:2). There are many reasons to extend hospitality. First, it is love in action. It takes a great love to open one’s home and resources to others. Second, it provides the opportunity to share and reflect the gospel. Inviting someone over and demonstrating God’s love with service of food or shelter can open the door to reveal the love of Jesus Christ. Lastly, it helps build community. Knowing who we can turn to in times of trouble and need is a great comfort we can provide our fellow believers as well as our greater community. Hospitality doesn’t have to happen in a perfectly clean house with a perfectly crafted feast. It could be a simple meal of canned soup on a cold day. It can open your home to someone who briefly needs shelter. It comes from a desire to help in any way we can provide with love. 

Philippi seemed to be an unlikely place to plant the gospel. It was a prosperous colony on a main highway with Rome and was home to a large number of retired Roman soldiers. Despite the size of the city, it didn’t have enough Jewish males to provide the requisite quorum to form a synagogue, so it wasn’t Paul’s travel plans. One night, he had a vision of a Macedonian man begging him to help (Acts 16:9) and felt compelled to visit Philippi. When he arrived, he found a group of women praying by the river’s edge. God saw the need in Philippi and sent Paul. He sees our need and sends help, we just may not recognize it at the time. The Bible is filled with examples of divine intervention as Exodus 14:14 says “The Lord will fight for you; you only need.” He interceded with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3: 25,27). God also with Daniel in the lion’s den (Daniel 6: 21-22). He interceded as Paul and Silas sat in prison (Acts 16:22-28). Divine intervention is a simple prayer away. Psalm 72:12 says that God will deliver to the needy who cry out.

In conclusion, for some, Lydia was probably just another conversion story. However, she is an example of the spirit of hospitality and divine intervention. For me, as an introvert and a naturally shy person, offering hospitality is easier said than done. However, when the Spirit moves and provides the open door, I find myself like Lydia, offering hospitality when it is needed the most. Divine intervention is more than just the stories in the Bible, it is a daily occurrence. I may not always be aware of how God intervenes for me, but I know He does. As Psalm 121:3b says, “he who watches over you will not slumber.” Lydia was a woman who had her heart opened to the gospel and it changed her life. The same God who spoke to Lydia’s heart is speaking to yours. Are you listening?  

If you would like to read a book bring Lydia to life, I highly recommend Bread of Angels by Tessa Afshar

Bread of Angels: the story of Lydia, the seller of purple

Bread of Angels by Tessa Afshar is the story of Lydia, the seller of purple who is briefly mentioned in Acts 16:14. The story begins with Lydia as a young girl learning her father’s secret formula for the richest purple dye. After tragedy strikes, Lydia is forced to leave her ancestral home and head to Philippi. In Philippi, she establishes herself as a seller of purple and gained a reputation as an honest and generous businesswoman despite the attempts of sabotage by those who wish to see her fail. One such act of sabotage seems to be her ruin. Until one day, a chance meeting with Paul and his companions, she turns her life over to God. As she learns more about God and opening her heart to him, individuals from her past come to Philippi and threaten to destroy everything she has worked so hard to build. Her newly found faith will be tested and she must decide to stand up and fight for herself or turn and hide.

One of the things I love about Tessa Afshar’s writing is that she can take a simple and relatively minor person from the Bible and make her come alive. She did it here in Bread of Angels. Lydia is mentioned briefly during Paul’s mission trips in Acts, but her story is very significant. From the opening page to the closing chapter, I was captivated by Lydia’s story and how seemingly insignificant encounters brought her to a place of prestige and influence. I also love how Tessa Afshar works the meaning of the title very subtly in the story and seems to come from nowhere. While some details about these characters and the times in which they lived are fictionalized and altered for a modern reader, Ms. Afshar keeps the integrity of the main character, Lydia, and opened my eyes to her story in a new way. I highly recommend Bread of Angels.

Bread of Angels

is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook