Hello my lovelies! Today, we’ll continue our Names of God series by studying the name El Olam, which means “the eternal God.” In a world of constant change, there is One who always stays the same. In Him, our hearts find true rest.

My God is El Olam: the Everlasting God.

El Olam: An Ancient Name

In Genesis 21:33, Abraham used this name for the first time in the Bible. God had promised to give him children and the land of Canaan. In Beersheba, Abraham first staked a claim on a piece of the Promised Land by digging a well. He believed that God would give him the land and called on El Olam, the everlasting God who keeps His promises.

El is a prefix from Elohim, meaning “strong Creator.”

Olam means “time” or “age.”

Out of respect for God, the rabbis would make a slight change when they wrote this Name of God. Instead of “Olam,” they would write “Alam,” which means, “hidden.” 

Although God is the Everlasting One, He is also hidden and secret to mankind. This is particularly true of His eternity. Without God’s revelation, we could never know this truth.

What does it mean that God is eternal?

First, God lives outside time. Although we are bound by time, God has no such limitations. He dwells outside the past, present, and future.

This theologian said it best, 

“God dwells in eternity but time dwells in God. He has already lived all our tomorrows as He has lived all our yesterdays.”

A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy

Sometimes, I wish I knew what was coming, so I could be prepared for it. However, I can’t see the future any better than you can.

But the amazing truth is that God already knows what will happen. He holds my future in His all-wise, all-loving hands. 

And He promised, 

“Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”

Psalm 37:4-5

God is eternal, and I can trust Him with not only my past and my present, but also my future.

(If you haven’t read A. W. Tozer’s The Knowledge of the Holy, you should look it up and read it. It’s incredibly good.)

Why do we long for eternity?

Thousands of years ago, the wisest man on earth wrote, 

“He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11

We were made for eternity, and yet we are forced to live in the bonds of time. Our years slip away in so many hours and minutes and seconds. Once lost, we can never regain them.

God planted deep within our hearts a longing for eternity.

For beauty that lasts.

For joy that no sorrow can ever drive away.

For love that never fails.

One day, He will fulfill that longing when we enter His eternal Kingdom. 

“And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 22:3-5)

Until then, we rest in El Olam, the Everlasting God.

Let’s Chat:

Do you know the Everlasting God? If you have never met Jesus, please read my story of faith. If you have questions, feel free to email me at whatdinnywore [at] gmail.com I’d love to share how you can know Him, too!