The Significance of Seven
James and I would be celebrating 7 years of marriage September 2016. The number seven had already been coming up among the The Mattress Firm ladies with increasing frequency, so of course, my attention was drawn to it even more. I began to study, looking for its biblical significance and possible application to my own life. And asking the Lord to help me to move forward with His guidance and much caution.
Of the numbers we see in the Bible, seven seems to show up far more often than most others. The first use of it is seen in the creation week (Genesis 1). God spent six days creating the heavens and the earth, and then rested on the seventh day.
So right at the start of the Bible, the number 7 is identified with something being finished or complete. From then on, that association continues, as 7 is often found in contexts involving completeness or divine perfection. We see the command for animals to be at least seven days old before being used for sacrifice (Exodus 22:30), the command for leprous Naaman to bathe in the Jordan River seven times to effect complete cleansing (2 Kings 5:10), and the command for Joshua to march around Jericho for seven days and for seven priests to blow seven trumpets outside the city walls (Joshua 6:3–4). In these instances, 7 signifies a completion of some kind: a divine mandate is fulfilled.
There are many more series of sevens that crop up throughout God's Word. Too many to cover here without getting to its significance to me personally.
All in all, the number 7 is used in the Bible more than 700 times. If we also include the words related to seven (like sevenfold or seventy or seven hundred), the count is higher. Of course, not every instance of the number 7 carries a deeper significance. Sometimes a 7 is just a 7 and for this very reason, I wanted to exercise caution and check everything against Scripture and the original context. However, it can't be ruled out that there are times when God communicates the idea of divine completeness, perfection, and wholeness by means of the number 7.
Henry Blackaby writes that "God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways." I was seeing all of these areas line up in regard to the timing of our 7th anniversary, and so I leaned in to His nudging and shared with James.
We were in agreement with each other that the Lord was speaking and began to pray boldly: Father, as we approach our 7th anniversary, we ask You to release favor and fulfillment over three specific areas in our lives... 1) my womb, 2) a new home, and 3) the next chapter of James' career. Whatever order You choose to answer, we are in agreement that You want us to ask and believe You are still the God of miracles. The God who works all things together for our good and Your glory. Let it be done, Lord.
I know that for me, God had strengthened my faith for things to come. He had helped me move from hoping to believing. And He had set an army of women around me to lift my arms when they felt heavy.
In the book of Hebrews, Paul uses 7 titles to refer to Christ:
Heir of all things (1:2)
Captain of our salvation (2:10)
Apostle (3:1)
Author of salvation (5:9)
Forerunner (6:20)
High Priest (10:21)
Author and finisher of our faith (12:2)
In the end, this is what I needed to know. He will finish what He started. He is the Author of my life's story. And though I can only see in part right now, He has promised the answer is on the way. I will see in full the glory of His mighty hand.
I will see it, others will see it, and we will all be changed.
I didn't know that what I discovered here would later became a powerful detail in our story. The Lord didn't answer our prayers around the time of our 7th anniversary, but in His perfect timing, He brought about His miracle at the end of our seven year journey with infertility. Oh friends, He is great and greatly to be praised!