When God Opens the Heart

“Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.”—Acts 16:14 (NKJV)

Sometimes we fall into the trap of accidentally humanizing the miraculous. When a person is born again, for example, we deduce that they simply turned to the Lord strictly out of their own volition. The Scriptures clearly indicate, however, that salvation is a work of God in the heart. It is a miracle! No one could be saved if God had not decided to give His Son and open the doors of heaven. In the same way, no one could be saved if God had not sent His Holy Spirit to convict, convince, and convert the heart.

Let this truth bring great joy to your heart. If you’re saved today it is because of the miraculous working of God in your life and in your spirit. As Paul put it, “you were dead in trespasses and sins… but God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us… made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

When you witness to others, invite the Holy Spirit to work actively in their hearts. Knowing that salvation is a miraculous work of God should move us to depend on Him more through prayer than ever before. And when you see someone coming to faith in Him, rejoice over watching the miraculous take place before your very eyes!