There is word in the New Testament that is used two times. It is used in the story of the men who meet a stranger on the road to Emmaus and at the end of their walk they say to Him “abide with us fast falls the eventide”. They still didn’t realize that it was Jesus but as the stranger had made their hearts burn within them they “prevailed” upon Him to stay. Then, of course they realized that it was the Lord. The other time the word is used is with Lydia, the purveyor of purple, who after her baptism prevails upon Paul and the other disciples to stay with her. It is a word that gets close to begging and has the effect of making someone uncomfortable if they don’t stay. It is not quite coercion. We don’t have to prevail upon Christ to abide with us. He is always there. We don’t need to embarrass Him to abide with us. He is the Lord who mercifully saves us. We need to get over being embarrassed at wanting to abide with Him.
Lydia prevails upon Paul and his companions to stay with her in Acts 16. A woman of Thyatira, a “seller of purple,” who dwelt in Philippi (Acts 16:14,15). She was not a Jewess but a proselyte. The Lord opened her heart as she heard the gospel from the lips of Paul (16:13). She thus became the first in Europe who embraced Christianity. She was a person apparently of considerable wealth, for she could afford to give a home to Paul and his companions. The first European to come to faith in Christ is kind of a big deal.
