We know that El means God. Olam means eternity, forever or everlasting, so when put together El Olam means Everlasting God.
The first time this appears in scripture is in Genesis 21:33. In this story Abraham had settled near Abimelech the Philistine King. Abimelech had taken note that God was blessing Abraham and that God was with him in everything he did so Abimelech comes to Abraham to say “hey please don’t do bad things to us. We can tell God is with you so let’s be nice to each other.” Abraham agreed, however there had apparently already been some disputes among the servants concerning some wells that had been dug and who they belonged to. Abimelech told Abraham, he didn’t know of it until “today”. So Abraham and Abimelech made a covenant with each other and used all kinds of animal sacrifices to seal their covenant. Abimelech then went home assured that Abraham and his men would play nice with his people. Then:
“Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.” Genesis 21:33-34
Abraham dealt with many conflicts and good times and bad times in his own family as well as with the people around him. But Abraham kept in close relationship with God regardless of what was going on. Sometimes the relationships we have with others can be challenging but at the forefront of our lives our relationship with God should always be paramount. If we can keep that relationship in tact, He will direct our steps to navigate our family relationships, our work relationships, our friend relationships and our church relationships. Abraham was recognizing that when he planted the tree and called on El Olam, His Everlasting God. It was a way to acknowledge God!
We have an enemy who is prowling around looking to destroy our relationships and our families, he is after our lives. And if he can’t have us in eternity, he will do what he can to destroy our life on earth. But we also have an Everlasting God, who never changes, He is the same today, as He was yesterday and He is the same today as He will be tomorrow. He is the one constant in our life that we can always depend on. I don’t know about you but I need constant, I need something to be unchanging. That is where my dependence on God comes in. He is eternal! He is everlasting! He is forever! Come what may and whatever rocks my world if I cling to Him, I can make it through this day and look forward to my tomorrows!
Restore 