Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
Isaiah 40:28-29
He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
I’ve recently been writing devotional readings based on the names and attributes of God found in the Bible. One of the most meaningful names of God is El Olam. This name of God combines the general Hebrew term (El) with the Hebrew word for everlasting or eternal. (olam).
The very first verse in the Bible tells us that “in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Before there was a heaven or an earth there was God. Even before there was a beginning, there was God!
Moses was most likely the author of the oldest Psalm, Psalm 90. Psalm 90:1-2 tell us that God is from everlasting to everlasting. Before anything was, God was. El Olam. He was, is, and always will be.
Time and Place
As finite creatures, we cannot fathom what it means to exist outside of time and place. But time and place are created realities. Before God created the universe, there was no place. Before God created light and set it apart from darkness to form the first day, there was no time. We cannot comprehend what it means to not be somewhere at some time.
But God since God is the creator, He is above all creation, including time and place. In theological terms, we refer to this as God being transcendent. But this transcendent God is also immanent. The immanence of God means that while He is not limited by or held within His creation (transcendent), He is actively involved with and working within His creation. Though He is not bound by time and place, He enters into and acts within the time and place He created for us.
Practical Implications
Let’s make this Monday morning practical. Look at the verses above from Isaiah 40. Isaiah lists three results of God being El Olam.
He does not faint or grow weary. God’s power does not wax and wane. My cellphone battery tends to need recharging at least once every two or three days. God never needs recharging. His power capacity is always at 100%. I never have to worry if He has enough in His tank to accomplish His purpose.
His understanding is unsearchable. Simply put, He knows more than I know. He knows everything. Not only do I not have the intellectual capacity that El Olam has, I don’t even possess the capacity to understand just how much God knows and understands. When I need wisdom, El Olam is the one to whom I can turn for infinite wisdom. He even know more than Google and Siri combined.
He gives power to the faint and strength to the weary. As a finite creature, I run out of energy. I get tired. Physically, mentally, spiritually. But I can find strength in El Olam whose capacity is always at 100%. In fact, verse 31 of that same chapter assures me that if I lean on and trust Yahweh, who is El Olam, I will fly like an eagle, run without getting weary, and walk without giving out. Everlasting strength from Everlasting God. El Olam.
Stop trying to figure life out with your own wisdom. Turn to El Olam for unsearchable wisdom. Let His Word guide you. Give up doing your things, your way in your strength. Wait in the Lord. Follow the lead of His Holy Spirit. Live in His strength and watch your life take off.