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. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. The trail was littered with tulip popular petals on the nature trail known for its popular trees and wildflowers. I kept hoping that it wasn’t too late to see a full bloom on a tree, but as much as I looked I just didn’t see one. The hike was harder than expected because the trail was more like walking up a creek with the recent rains. So at the highest point of the trail there was bench and when I sat down to rest, there it was the most beautiful full tulip popular bloom floating in the water at the edge of the creek. Had I not sat down I would have never seen it. This was the picture that I had asked for that day. You see, each time I go hiking I pray that the Holy Spirit will prepare my eyes to see and open my heart to learn something new about his word. The bench, the water on the trail, and that tulip popular bloom were brought together for me to see this beautiful image.
The story of Lydia in Acts is a story of how the Holy Spirit brought things together to accomplish God's mission. Paul only went to Macedonia because of vision that he had. It wasn’t in his original plan. Lydia had been searching for God and went to a place known as a place to seek and pray. We know she was a very unusual woman for her time because she was a wealthy merchant on her own at a time when women were mostly seen as property. She had found material success but it wasn’t enough for her. She was still searching for God. Because she had been searching her heart was opened to hear Paul's message. She then became a missionary herself as her home became home base for Paul while in Philippi. I believe that God still brings things together for us to accomplish his plan for his kingdom, whether it be something small like the tulip popular bloom or some much bigger life decision. Prayer Holy Spirit Prepare our hearts and our eyes to see you. Bring together everything you need to accomplish your purpose through us today. Amen
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Soli Deo Gloria,
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan