The Lord opened her heart

“Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.” - Act 16v14

I don’t claim to know all about how the sovereignty of God and the free-will of man work together. However, when I see things like I se today one thing is clear – man cannot be saved at his own initiative, God must do a work.

After the vision of the Macedonian man Paul, Silas, Timothy, and now Luke set sail for Macedonia, stopping overnight on an island about half-way there. They arrived the next day where they find a place where a group of Jewish women met to pray. One of the women was a business woman named Lydia who made her living selling expensive purple clothing.

As Paul spoke something happened in Lydia’s heart. As God opened her heart to receive His word she understood the things Paul talked about and was saved and baptised. God would use Lydia as part of the founding of the church at Philippi.

The important thing to note is that God had to open her heart to receive His word. There can be no work of God apart from His preparing the way. We try to find ways to convince, cajole, warn, scare, and manipulate people to “get saved.” No mater what our views on the sovereignty of God and the free-will of man, we must agree that it is God’s work that brings them to Himself. All we can do is be faithful in presenting His word so that He can open their hearts to it.