A Course in Miracles,
Lesson 183.
I call upon God's name,
And on my own.
God's name is holy,
But no holier than yours.
To call upon God's name is to call upon your own.
A father gives his children his name,
And thus identifies each child with him.
His sons and daughters share his name,
And thus are they united in a bond,
To which they turn for their identity.
God's name reminds you who you are,
Even within a world that does not know,
Even though you have not remembered.
God's name cannot be heard without a response.
God's name cannot be said without an echo in the mind that calls you to remember.
Say God's name,
And you invite in the angels to surround the ground on which you stand.
The angels sing to you as they spread out their wings to keep you safe,
To shelter you from every worldly thought that would intrude upon your holiness.
Repeat God's name,
And all the world responds by laying down illusions.
Every dream the world holds dear has suddenly gone by.
Where the dreams seem to stand,
You find a star,
A miracle,
Grace.
The sick arise,
Healed of their sickly thoughts.
The blind can see.
The deaf can hear.
The sorrowful cast off their mourning.
All the tears of pain are dried as happy laughter comes to bless the world.
Repeat the name of God,
And little names have lost their meaning.
All temptations become nameless and unwanted things before God's name.
Repeat God's name,
And see how easily you will forget the names of all the little gods you value.
They have lost the name of God you gave them.
They became anonymous and valueless.
Although before you let the name of God replace the little gods' names,
You stood before them,
Worshipfully naming them as the real gods.
Repeat the name of God,
And call upon your higher self,
Whose name is God.
Repeat God's name,
And all the tiny nameless things on earth slip into right perspective.
Say to yourself,
Say in your mind,
I call upon God's name,
And on my own.
I call upon God's name,
And on my own.
Those who call upon the name of God cannot mistake the nameless for the name.
Cannot mistake sin for grace.
Cannot mistake bodies for the holy child of God.
Could you join a brother or sister as you sit with them in silence,
And repeat God's name along with them within your quiet mind?
You have established there an altar which reaches to God and to the holy child of God.
Practice this today.
Repeat God's name slowly again and still again.
Become oblivious to every name but that of God.
Hear nothing else.
Let all your thoughts become anchored on this.
No other word we use except at the beginning.
When we say today's idea once,
Then God's name becomes our only thought,
Our only word,
The only thing that occupies our mind,
The only wish that we have,
The only sound with any meaning,
The only name of everything that we desire to see,
The only name of everything that we would call our own.
Thus we give an invitation which can never be refused.
God will come and answer it himself.
Think not that God hears the little prayers of those who call on him with names of idols cherished by the world.
God cannot be reached in this manner.
God cannot hear requests that he be not himself,
Or that his child receive another name than his.
Repeat God's name and you acknowledge God as sole creator of reality.
You also acknowledge that his child is part of him,
Creating in his name.
Sit silently and let God's name become the all-encompassing idea that holds your mind completely.
Let all thoughts be still except God's name.
Do all other thoughts respond with this and see God's name replace the thousand little names you gave your thoughts as you now realize that there is one name for all there is,
One name for all that there will be.
Today you can achieve a state in which you will experience the gift of grace.
You can escape all bondage of the world.
You can give the world the same release you found.
You can remember what the world forgot.
You can offer the world your own remembering.
Let's practice.
Repeat God's name,
Slowly,
Again,
Still again.
Become oblivious to every name but that of God.
Hear nothing else.
Let all your thoughts become anchored on God.
We say today's idea.
Now say to yourself,
I call upon God's name and on my own.
God's name becomes our only thought,
Our only word.
God's name becomes the only thing that occupies our mind.
God's name becomes the only wish that we have.
God's name becomes the only sound with any meaning.
God's name becomes the only name of everything that we desire to see.
God's name becomes the only name of everything that we would call our own.
I call upon God's name and on my own.
We acknowledge God as the sole creator of reality.
We acknowledge that our higher self is part of God.
We acknowledge our higher self is creating in the name of God.
You can offer today to the world your own remembering.
You can accept today the part you play in the salvation of the world.
You can accept today the part you play in your own salvation.
You can accept today the part you play in the world's salvation and your own as well.
And both can be accomplished perfectly.
Turn to the name of God for your release and it is given you.
No prayer but this is necessary for it holds all prayers within it.
Words are insignificant and all requests are unneeded.
When you call on your father's name your father's thoughts become your own.
You make your claim to all your father gave is giving still and to all your father will forever give.
You call on God to let all things you thought you made be nameless now.
In their place the holy name of God becomes his judgment of their worthlessness.
All little things are silent.
Little sounds are soundless.
Now the little things of earth have disappeared.
The universe consists of nothing but the children of God who call upon their father.
Their father's voice gives answer in their father's holy name.
This is an eternal still relationship in which communication far transcends all words and yet exceeds in depth and height whatever words could possibly convey.
This is peace eternal.
In our father's name we would experience this peace today and in our father's name peace shall be given us.
This is peace eternal.
In our father's name we would experience this peace today.
In our father's name peace shall be given us.
I call upon God's name and on my own nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God.
