Maybe he believed in the significance or the perfection of the number seven? After all, if Stephen R. Adams had read his bible many times, including some of its first words, he might have concluded that God thought the same way in the very beginning. And Stephen might have surmised that he was in the same place as Him when he described “Where the Spirit of the Lord Is” in 1973, even as a 30-year-old living in middle America on planet Earth (we’ll assume he was somewhere in Indiana, where one source suggests he was living until arriving in Urbana, Ohio in 1974). From where had Stephen gathered his thoughts about the impact of the Spirit’s presence? He had probably heard lots of presentations on this and related subjects from childhood, so by his 30th year, Stephen must have already had his own experiences with and impressions about this Spirit and what He provides. See if you agree with what he says about this.
We know a few things about Stephen R. Adams and his background that give us some clues to the circumstances surrounding the one-verse poem-song that he gave the world in 1973. Though the precise context of that time in 1973 is unknown, we know that he was the son of a pastor, had studied and played organ church music practically his whole life, was schooled in Greek philosophy and English literature in college, and lived in Massachusetts and Indiana up until 30 years of age. His own father’s sermons must have played a large role in young Stephen’s upbringing and awareness of God’s impact on life. This life would have been filled with the church music that Stephen played weekly, something that apparently stayed with him into adulthood, including when he eventually moved to western Ohio where he was an organist and choirmaster in a church in Xenia, near Urbana. ‘Where the Spirit…’ was apparently not Stephen’s first effort at songwriting, something he’d been doing since at least 1968. He had seven thoughts about the Spirit in this brief verse, things he had probably heard while sitting under the sound of his father’s voice, and perhaps experienced himself while seated at an organ or teaching a choir. These must have made Stephen’s life full and complete, these seven gifts from the Spirit. ‘Peace’, ‘love’, ‘comfort’, ‘light’, ‘life’, ‘help’, and ‘power’ certainly do not exhaust what believers receive from Him, but they felt especially notable to Stephen Adams when he summed up His impact on his own life that day. Did it occur to Stephen that other 7’s in scripture are notable? God resting on the 7th day when creating (Genesis 1-2); Jesus’ 7 statements while on the cross (Matthew 27, Luke 23, John 19); Jesus’ metaphorical descriptions of Himself (John 6-15); and many, many others. One doesn’t have to superstitiously acknowledge some magic about number 7 to accept that God makes things full and complete (perhaps with other numbers, like 3, as in the Trinity), even perfect when He’s involved.
Stephen Adams had concluded that he was in a good spot in 1973. What moved him to craft a song of devotion to the Spirit? Is it too much conjecture to say that the Spirit Himself was involved with the words and the music that Adams penned? No specific date or time of day is really relevant when He’s engaged, since He lives inside of a believer, especially a songwriter. Others have that One inside them, including one named David (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22), even if he did make lots of mistakes and even stray from God egregiously at times. But, as Stephen Adams probably knew, when He’s been with you, you tend to know Him and what He provides. He’s hard to ignore, in this respect. Stephen knew seven truths about His presence. Do your insides tell you that you possess those things today?
See brief information on the author here: http://composers-classical-music.com/a/AdamsStephenR.htm
Some biblical concepts re: the number 7, see here: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-is-the-biblical-significance-of-the-number-7.html
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