Taken from Women Doing Well’s Extravagant God, a six-session study on generous women through the ages, published in 2015.
Lydia is a maker and seller of purple cloth. She uses her talent to make a living.
That’s no easy task for a single woman in Bible times, but God’s hand is on her. As a result, her business prospers. Guests and servants flow in and out of her house.
Introduced in Acts 16, Lydia relies on God’s graces. One of the graces He bestows on her is friendship.
By making quality cloth and serving her community well, Lydia makes a number of close friends. Each day, they gather together at the river. There, they pray, pouring their souls out to the God who hears.
Eventually, she meets Paul, who teaches her of Jesus. Lydia’s love for God draws her to Jesus. As she begins walking with Him, her purpose of “inspiring hope” becomes ever clearer.
Read more of Joanna’s story in Acts 16:11–15, 40.
Faithful Friendship and WDW
One group of friends spent four months praying. Their prayer was specific and consequential.
Pam, Sharla, Sharon, and Ann asked God to show them His heart for women. Then they asked what God would have them do in response.
The answer was loud and clear. God wanted them to intentionally listen Christian women, to hear women’s hearts for generosity.
God then graciously found other women to grab these friends’ vision and launch Women Doing Well.
Every action was led through prayer. Every decision made in complete unity. Seeking unanimity created a long decision cycle, but when God is at work, you don’t rush the process.
Even the name Women Doing Well was a unanimous decision ordered by God. Its resonance served as assurance that God was indeed at work.
As you would expect from a God of order, this joy- filled adventure aligns with the founder’s individual purposes: expanding territory, connecting meaning, unearthing treasure, and visioning connection.
All this, because of friendship. Because four women came together to pray to God and heed His word. What an extravagant God we serve!
