EL OLAM — THE EVERLASTING GOD
Rev. Catherine opened by describing the pressure-filled rhythm of modern life — deadlines, demands, and the constant feeling that time is moving too quickly. Many of us live with the fear of “running out of time,” feeling behind or overwhelmed.
Into this tension, Rev. Catherine brought us to a powerful moment tucked quietly in Scripture: Genesis 21:33, where Abraham “called on the name of the LORD, El Olam.”
He did this not in comfort, but in the middle of personal upheaval — disputes, waiting, heartbreak, and living in a promised land not yet his. Abraham stood between what God promised and what he was living through, just like us.
From this single moment, Rev. Catherine highlighted three truths about El Olam — truths meant to anchor our restless, time-pressured hearts.
1. El Olam — The Everlasting God Has No Beginning and No End
El Olam reveals God’s eternal nature:
He did not become God.
He did not grow into God.
He has always been God.
Genesis does not say “God appeared” or “God emerged.”
It simply begins: “In the beginning, God.”
Before mountains existed, before the universe was spoken into being, God was already there. (Psalm 90:2)
All creation depends on something — oxygen, gravity, light, rhythm — but God depends on nothing. He is self-existent, all-powerful, all-wise. Because God has no beginning, He knew us before we were born. Because God has no end, nothing in our future can threaten His plans.
Rev. Catherine illustrated this beautifully using a “rope of eternity”:
Our entire earthly life is just a tiny red line at one end of an endlessly long rope.
We see only the red line.
God sees the whole rope.
What feels long to us is a breath to Him.
What feels slow to us is right on time to Him.
God sees the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:9–10).
2. El Olam — The Everlasting God Does Not Change
We live in a world of constant change — in society, workplaces, relationships, even our own bodies and emotions. But God remains the same.
As Malachi 3:6 declares:
“I the LORD do not change.”
If God changed with culture, His truth would shift.
If God grew tired, His promises would weaken.
If God adjusted with seasons, our hope would collapse.
But the God who walked with Abraham is the same God who walks with us today — constant, faithful, steady, and unchanging. His compassion does not fail, His holiness does not fade, His promises never break.
Rev. Catherine compared God’s constancy to the North Star — a fixed point sailors used for centuries to navigate safely. In the storms of life, God’s unchanging character is our anchor (Hebrews 6:19).
3. El Olam — The Everlasting God Keeps His Promises Across Generations
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree — a slow-growing tree often planted at covenant sites — symbolizing blessings meant to outlive the planter. Planting this tree in Beersheba was Abraham’s act of faith:
“I may not see everything God promised,
but the God who sees beyond my lifetime will fulfill it.”
Abraham planted a sapling;
God grew a nation.
Scripture affirms God’s generational faithfulness repeatedly:
“He keeps His covenant to a thousand generations.” (Deut 7:9)
“His faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Ps 100:5)
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob died without seeing the fullness of the promise, but God fulfilled it through the generations — even carrying Joseph’s bones out of Egypt 400 years later.
Rev. Catherine urged the church to see every act of obedience — every prayer, every seed of faith, every loving word, every sacrifice — as a tamarisk tree planted for the next generation. What feels small to us may become God’s miracle in the future.
CONCLUSION — Partnering With the Everlasting God
El Olam calls us beyond living only for our short red line on the rope.
He invites us to live with eternity in view.
Your life is part of a larger story God is writing — a story He has already seen from beginning to end. Whether you’re sowing into your children, praying for a lost family member, mentoring someone, or serving unseen, God is using your life to bless generations after you.
El Olam holds your past, your present, and every tomorrow.
He is eternal.
He is unchanging.
He is faithful across generations.
