I have a mantra. I don’t tell anybody because the word itself conjures up images of long robes and barefoot dancing to the erratic rhythm of tambourines. So I only confess it here in my private journal.
I don’t chant my mantra in order to become one with the “Great Nothing”. I repeat it rhythmically in order to still my mind in preparation for meditating on God’s presence and voice. It does “center” me. But it centers me prostrate at the foot of God’s throne. It bares my spirit to Him and flushes away the fears and anxieties that beset my daily existence.
My mantra consists of four names of God. I call them out not just because they escort me mentally and emotionally into His presence, but also because I believe they drive out dark angels and enemy forces who shrink away at the sound of His name. I don’t just chant them over and over, I “declare” them. It’s different.
In order, they go like this:
1. Elohim — In Hebrew this name is plural, but it is always translated in the singular form. It expresses the “tri-unity” of God; His singular plurality. This is the Sovereign Almighty Creator, the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God over all that is. When I declare His Sovereignty, I am surrendering my own “godhood” and all of my control issues and setting Him and His desires above me and my desires, renouncing Satan’s call to “be like god, knowing good and evil.”
2. Emmanuel — This name literally means, “God with us.” In itself it tells the whole story. It is, first of all, Jesus Himself; god become human and walking on earth with us. It is the God of Phillipians 2:5-8, the God who emptied Himself. It is the God who dwells with us now in the form of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. When I declare His “Descendance”, I am offering to release my own pride and become a servant to humanity in His name.
3. Abba — This is God’s most intimate name. It expresses the reason for the name just before it, Emmanuel. Why did God become one with us? So that He could be called our true Father, having experienced life as we do; just as an earthly father has experienced childhood before his children. This is the God of Psalm 103:10-14: the God who doesn’t treat us with the justice we deserve, but as a father with compassion for the children He created out of dust in the image of Himself. When I declare His Fatherhood I am accepting Him into this deep intimacy with my most inner self.
4. Adonai — This name means “Lord.” It has the connotation of Master, one to whom one submits. We are safe in submitting to him because of the previous name, Abba. He is our most intimate friend, brother, and father. He “formed my inward parts.” He “knitted me together in my mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-16).” Having designed me, He knows better than I do what hurts me, what heals me, what will make me strong, and what will weaken me. I am most self-fulfilled when I conform myself to His will. When I declare His Lordship, I am acknowledging that His will fulfills me and my purpose for living.
So, there it is. Elohim-Emmanuel-Abba-Adonai. My opening mantra to meditation and communication with Yahweh. It has a great rhythm: da-da-DA, da-DA-da-da, DA-da, da-da-DA (pause, repeat).
“Elohim-Emmanuel-Abba-Adonai, I lift Your name up in my heart above all other names. You have exalted above all things Your name and Your word, and at it’s sound, every knee shall bow, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. I love You and I seek You with my whole heart. Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.”
Phillipians 2:9
Psalm 138:2
Phillipians 2:10
Jeremiah 29:13
Psalm 143:8
I don’t chant my mantra in order to become one with the “Great Nothing”. I repeat it rhythmically in order to still my mind in preparation for meditating on God’s presence and voice. It does “center” me. But it centers me prostrate at the foot of God’s throne. It bares my spirit to Him and flushes away the fears and anxieties that beset my daily existence.
My mantra consists of four names of God. I call them out not just because they escort me mentally and emotionally into His presence, but also because I believe they drive out dark angels and enemy forces who shrink away at the sound of His name. I don’t just chant them over and over, I “declare” them. It’s different.
In order, they go like this:
1. Elohim — In Hebrew this name is plural, but it is always translated in the singular form. It expresses the “tri-unity” of God; His singular plurality. This is the Sovereign Almighty Creator, the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God over all that is. When I declare His Sovereignty, I am surrendering my own “godhood” and all of my control issues and setting Him and His desires above me and my desires, renouncing Satan’s call to “be like god, knowing good and evil.”
2. Emmanuel — This name literally means, “God with us.” In itself it tells the whole story. It is, first of all, Jesus Himself; god become human and walking on earth with us. It is the God of Phillipians 2:5-8, the God who emptied Himself. It is the God who dwells with us now in the form of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. When I declare His “Descendance”, I am offering to release my own pride and become a servant to humanity in His name.
3. Abba — This is God’s most intimate name. It expresses the reason for the name just before it, Emmanuel. Why did God become one with us? So that He could be called our true Father, having experienced life as we do; just as an earthly father has experienced childhood before his children. This is the God of Psalm 103:10-14: the God who doesn’t treat us with the justice we deserve, but as a father with compassion for the children He created out of dust in the image of Himself. When I declare His Fatherhood I am accepting Him into this deep intimacy with my most inner self.
4. Adonai — This name means “Lord.” It has the connotation of Master, one to whom one submits. We are safe in submitting to him because of the previous name, Abba. He is our most intimate friend, brother, and father. He “formed my inward parts.” He “knitted me together in my mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-16).” Having designed me, He knows better than I do what hurts me, what heals me, what will make me strong, and what will weaken me. I am most self-fulfilled when I conform myself to His will. When I declare His Lordship, I am acknowledging that His will fulfills me and my purpose for living.
So, there it is. Elohim-Emmanuel-Abba-Adonai. My opening mantra to meditation and communication with Yahweh. It has a great rhythm: da-da-DA, da-DA-da-da, DA-da, da-da-DA (pause, repeat).
“Elohim-Emmanuel-Abba-Adonai, I lift Your name up in my heart above all other names. You have exalted above all things Your name and Your word, and at it’s sound, every knee shall bow, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. I love You and I seek You with my whole heart. Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.”
Phillipians 2:9
Psalm 138:2
Phillipians 2:10
Jeremiah 29:13
Psalm 143:8
Thank you so much for sharing this! I have been meditating and chanting buddhist mantras, thinking that there were no christian mantras. But God is great and He has finally led me to your site and i will start chanting this mantra you have shared. May God bless you in abundance with His Love and Grace for your kindness in sharing this. i am going through a major finacial crisis in my life where i am overwhelmed with guilt,anxiety and hopelessness. I have been praying everyday for over a year now but have not found any peace nor solution. I will start chanting this mantra you have shared immediately and if you dont mind, will share the results of this with you and all who visit your web page.
Posted by: vincent nelligan | March 12, 2012 at 01:00 AM