He Opens Hearts

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

HE OPENS HEARTS

Acts 16:11-15

11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.

NIV

We have a short travel log that takes them to Phillipi, a Roman colony, meaning it was under Roman control. From what we know, it had a significant Greek population and Jewish residents. We are not told that Paul and Silas went to any synagogue; instead, they went outside the city gates, near a river, to pray. This could be our first clue about prayer. It is good to find a place to pray, to get alone. Although there were two, they would still have wanted a quiet, still, solitary place to pray. How can we pray if we are getting distracted by all the things around us? However, it appears they did not find that solitary place, but instead found women who had gathered there. We are now introduced to Lydia, who was a worshipper of God. What we know from the text is that although she worshipped God, she had no knowledge about Jesus, and the free gift of salvation through him. The key to her accepting Paul's message about Jesus was that the Lord opened her heart to respond.  This key is everything, as a person with a closed heart will not listen or hear the truth about Jesus, and they will not willingly open their own unbelieving hearts. This is the work of the Lord, as he can open a person's heart. Indeed, the Lord will not force himself on people, but he can open their hearts, soften their hard hearts, so they might respond to the truth about Jesus, the free gift of God. This may be one of those things that is impossible with men, to open their own hearts, but all things are possible with God. The question is whether we can pray for God to open someone's heart. However, that is not what Paul did; he merely told the women about the message concerning Jesus, and God did the rest regarding Lydia's heart. There is another truth that applies to us: as soon as she believed, she wanted to be baptized. In Essence, that is part of following Jesus. Lydia opened her home to Paul and Silas, which we think meant she wanted to hear more about Jesus. Let us learn these lessons and make sure we find a solitary place for prayer, just tell the message, and let God open hearts.