A Closer Look: Sweet Sweet Spirit
Sweet, Sweet Spirit
Words and Music by Doris Akers
There’s a sweet, sweet spirit in this place,
And I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord.
There are sweet expressions on each face,
And I know that it’s the presence of the Lord.
Sweet Holy Spirit, sweet Heav’nly Dove.
Stay right here with us, filling us with your love.
And for these blessings, we lift our hearts in praise.
Without a doubt we’ll know that we have been revived,
When we shall leave this place.
When I was young, we ended every service at my church with this song. Growing up, it never really meant much to me, other than it was time to go to lunch!
But this past year we sang it at the church I now attend, and the words have stayed with me and given me reason to stop, to pause and reflect on their meaning.
The song is a celebration of the Holy Spirit and it’s role in our lives. The opening verse is a reflection of this emotion of gratefulness and praise that the Spirit is within us and among us. There is a spirit here, the song says, and we know it is the Spirit of the Lord, that He is in our presence. We look around at our friends, our brothers and sisters in Christ. We see in them the presence of our Lord.
How wonderful a sentiment!
As the song moves into the chorus, the words implore the Holy Spirit to stay, to fill us up in love. But the song doesn’t stop there. It goes on in thankfulness and praise, knowing the Holy Spirit will remain, and in response we “lift our hearts in praise.” And finally, the blessed assurance that through God’s gift of the Holy Spirit, when we leave we will know that we have been revived, restored to life through Christ.
Doris Akers (pictured above), the writer of Sweet, Sweet Spirit, as well as Sweet Jesus, I Cannot Fail the Lord, and other songs, was born in 1923, and began praising God in music almost from birth. In 1958, she co-wrote “Lord, Don’t Move the Mountain” with the legendary Mahalia Jackson, her close friend. The song won a Manna Award for more than one million copies sold.
That same year, Akers, who was African-American, began the Sky Pilot Choir. The racially-mixed group featured African-American gospel music, and was known world-wide for their style. It was with this group that the song Sweet, Sweet Spirit was born.
As she told Lindsay Terry in an interview in the late 1980’s:
She related to me that one Sunday morning in 1962, while directing the Sky Pilot Choir, she said to her singers, “You are not ready to go in.” She didn’t believe they had prayed enough! They were accustomed to spending time with her in prayer before the service, asking God to bless their songs. She said, “I feel that prayer is more important than great voices.” They had already prayed, but this particular morning she asked them to pray again, and they did so with renewed fervor.
As they prayed, Doris began to wonder how she could stop this wonderful prayer meeting. She said, “I sent word to the pastor letting him know what was happening. He was waiting in the auditorium, wanting to start the service. Finally, I was compelled to say to the choir, ‘We have to go. I hate to leave this room and I know you hate to leave, but you know we do have to go to the service. But there is such a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place.’”
Doris explained to me, “Songwriters always have their ears open to a song. The song started ‘singing’ to me. I wanted to write it down but couldn’t. I thought the song would be gone after the service. Following the dismissal, I went home. The next morning, to my surprise, I heard the song again, so I went to the piano and began to put it all down.” She had been given the now-famous “Sweet, Sweet Spirit.”
I find it inspirational to know that a song that has filled me and blessed me was born out of inspiration!
Akers’ songs have been recorded by many artists, including Bill Gaither, George Beverly Shea, and even Elvis Presley. Millions of church-goers have sung her songs. In 2001, she was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Akers, who died in 1995, was honored by the Smithsonian Institute, which labeled her songs and records “National Treasures.
But I’m quite sure that the award she now enjoys, that of eternal life singing in the greatest choir of all, is the one award that matters!
To listen & View Sweet Sweet Spirit on YouTube, click here.
May 26th, 2010 at 10:26 am
She related to me that one Sunday morning in 1962, while directing the Sky Pilot Choir, she said to her singers, “You are not ready to go in.” She didn’t believe they had prayed enough! They were accustomed to spending time with her in prayer before the service, asking God to bless their songs. She said, “I feel that prayer is more important than great voices.” They had already prayed, but this particular morning she asked them to pray again, and they did so with renewed fervor