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

Proverbs 31:10-31 The Wife of Noble Character: a model to inspire to

Proverbs has a lot to say about women. It is often said that the Bible portrays women, the ideal woman, as a servant. It just isn’t so. The book ends with a picture of a woman with strong character, great wisdom, many skills and great compassion. Proverb 31:10-31 shows that the ideal woman is an excellent wife and mother and so much more. As you read the verse, you will realize that her appearance is never mentioned. She is not described as thin, fat, tall, short, beautiful or average. Because her physical appearance doesn’t matter, regardless of what society says, which is why the section is often titled “The Wife of Noble Character.” So, I looked through the Bible to find examples of women who, in part, fit these characteristics.

The ideal woman is valuable (verse 10) and trustworthy (verse 11). She brings her family good, not harm, for all her days (verse 12). She’s industrious and she works with eager hands (verse 13). She’s a business woman who imports products for her family’s meals (verse 14). She’s diligent as she gets up early and provides food for her family and others (verse 15). She’s entrepreneurial as she “considers a field and buys it” and “out of her earnings she plants a vineyard” (verse 16). She is wise with money and only purchases quality goods. As I read these verses, I was reminded of Lydia in Acts 16:14-15. She was a businesswoman opened her home to Paul as he began his ministry. Another woman is Priscilla (Acts 18), along with her husband, Aquila, worked as a successful tentmaker and helped Paul’s ministry. Priscilla is an example of a wife who works as a partner with her husband and not as a servant for him.

The ideal woman works hard and strong at her tasks (verse 17). She is attentive to her business (verse 18) and she is a hard worker (verse 19). She is compassionate as she “opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy” (verse 20). She is confident (verse 21) and elegant (verse 22). She is admirable and her husband is admired in part because of her (verse 23). Ruth wasn’t afraid of hard work. She married one of Naomi’s sons and when he died, she decided to remain with Naomi and return with her to her home in Bethlehem (Ruth 1:4-19). As a widow, she would have been poverty striven, taken advantaged of or ignored. She gave up the possibility of security of another husband in her home of Moab, to take care of Naomi. She went to the fields during harvest and gathered grain left behind by the harvesters (Ruth 2:7). It was there she caught the eye of Boaz, who owned the field where she was gathering grain (Ruth 2:3). She later married Boaz (Ruth 4:13) and is know her for love of her mother-in-law, Naomi and her kindness to others.

The ideal woman is a capitalist as she “makes linen garments and sells them,” supplying “merchants with sashes” (verse 24). She is dignified (verse 25). She is wise and gives faithful instruction (verse 26). She is watchful (verse 27). She is honored by her family (verse 28) as she surpasses many of the other noble women (verse 29). She fears the Lord (verse 30) and acclaimed (verse 31). One woman I see in these verses is Hannah in 1 Samuel 1-11. She was fervent in worship and effective in prayer as she turned to the Lord with her troubles. 1 Samuel 1:10 says that “in bitterness of soul, Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord.” She brought her problem to God with honesty and devotion. Another woman I see in these verses is Abigail in 1 Samuel 25:14-28 when she was wise enough to know that her husband, Nabal, had greatly insulted the new king and set out to correct the situation. She gathered food and wine for King David and his men and sought forgiveness for her husband’s rudeness. Because of her wisdom, Abigail saved many men’s lives and promoted peace.

In conclusion, the Wife of Noble Character isn’t a model to imitate but an inspiration to be all you can be, to learn from her perseverance, integrity, and resourcefulness. The Book of Proverbs begins with the command to fear the Lord. Proverbs 1:7 says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” It ends with the picture of a woman who fills this command. Proverbs 31:30 says “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” When you read this verse, remember it is not about being perfect. While many of the women I mentioned did not fit every verse, they were examples of women who did their best. It is about living life with purpose, diligence, and caring for your loved ones the best way you know how with the Lord’s guidance and direction.