Keeping His Name Holy – El-Olam
Keeping His Name Holy – El-Olam.
“And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba; and there he called on the name of the Lord, El-Olam, the Everlasting God.” (Genesis 21:33).
El-Olam is a powerful and mysterious name of God meaning God Everlasting. Our God is a God of timeless qualities, and eternal constancy of character and holiness. God has no birthday. He doesn’t have a beginning, and His existence will never have an ending. If you are looking for someone with the Big Picture, then our God with His eternal perspective is Who you’re looking for. Only God can put everything and everyone into its proper context.
El-Olam is another compound name of God. El is simply the generic name for God, a shortened form of Elohim. Olam means eternity. But the ancient rabbis have brought up an interesting point about this name. They pointed out that olam is connected to alam, which means hidden. So they believed that El-Olam reveals a mysterious nature of God, that El-Olam is a secret name for God. It is certainly a mystery that something exists that had no beginning and will have no ending. It is surely a mystery that God exists in infinity, that He created time itself, He invented chronology, and is thus outside of time. We indeed worship a God who is outside our understanding, a God who was and is and is to come, a God of yesterday, today and forever. It is a comfort that we can trust in His everlasting wisdom and power.
In calling the Lord the Everlasting God, Abraham is expressing his faith. A faith in his God, that in His everlasting power He would fulfill His stated purpose to develop a great nation through Abraham, a family that will stand the test of time. This first appearance of El-Olam above turns out to be a powerful statement of trust and faith. Have you noticed how our biblical pioneer of faith, Abraham, is involved in so many of the names of God? We’re not done yet.
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? Yahweh is El-Olam, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom…” (Isaiah 40:28).
A Prayer to El-Olam (el-o’-lum)
We tremble in your presence, El-Olam, God Everlasting. For you have been our dwelling place in all generations. We are in awe of you, King Eternal. We worship you, Ancient of Days. For you inhabit eternity, and exist in boundless Reality. Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God. You are our eternal refuge, Lord, and underneath are your everlasting arms. Great are you, God, and greatly to be praised. Your greatness is unsearchable. Your understanding no one can fathom. For with you a day is like a thousand years, and thousand years are like a day. We thank you for your Son, who is Alpha nd Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. We bow before you, El-Olam, for yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, now and always, forever and ever. Amen.
everlasting to everlasting with lyrics – YouTube