Acts 16:14,15–The Conversion of Lydia And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us. The Acts of the Apostles are really a record of the acts of the Holy Spirit through the ministry of these men of God. It is a book which tells of some notable conversions. In this chapter the apostle Paul is on his second great missionary journey. We learn of early converts in the continent of Europe, the first being a woman named Lydia. What we see is a coming together of the providence of God and the grace of God. Spurgeon said that providence is the handmaid of grace and in any conversion the Lord directs events so that a sinner is brought to a sense of his need and gets to hear the gospel. The Psalmist wrote of this: “Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted...they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them...” (Psa.107:17-20). The providence of God is seen firstly. We read of “a certain woman” (v.14). Whatever Lydia was in the sight of others, she was special to God. Men so often look upon things as uncertain, fortunate or lucky, but with God all things are certain and sure. In His infinite wisdom the Almighty had ordered circumstances such that this particular woman, hundreds of miles from home, would hear the gospel from His own servants, also far from home. Paul and his companions wanted to preach the gospel in Asia, but the Spirit of God restrained them. Later they tried to go into the region of Bithynia but again God’s Spirit would not allow them. What were they to do? When God shuts up our way then He has other plans for us. God’s servants were led eventually to Philippi and to a place of prayer by a riverside. The grace of God is now seen. Lydia was an industrious woman, making a living for herself and her household by trading in cloth. She was also a religious woman, reverencing God and attending the means of grace. But she was not yet a gracious woman. She did not know the Lord. Are you like this? You are hard-working and clean-living. You respect the cause of God. Remember this, that Christianity in more than respectability. You need the saving grace of God. We see the opening of her heart. This was the key to her conversion. Lydia heard a man’s voice preaching the gospel, but when her heart was opened she heard the Good Shepherd Himself. It was the Lord’s doing, by His free and sovereign grace. Our sinful hearts are like hard ground which must be broken up before the good seed of the gospel can enter in. Or they are like a house in darkness, bolted and barred from the outside, which can only be opened by someone other than ourselves. God by His mighty grace is able to change our hearts, giving us repentance and faith and a love for spiritual things. We see the opening of her home. This was an evidence of her conversion. When Lydia was baptised she urged the disciples to come and enjoy the hospitality of her house, “if ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord.” Later in the chapter she is still showing this spirit (v.40). Do we love the saints? They are the companions we should desire above all others. When Ruth the Moabitess was converted she said to Naomi, “Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God” (Ruth 1:16). May we be able from the heart to say the same.