Days of Praise ~ El Olam, The Everlasting God

Before the world was created, the Father loved Jesus and was with him in the beginning. Jesus is before everything. Jesus is “I AM.” He lived. He died. He lives forever. He was, and is, and is to come. He is the same yesterday, today and forever! He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, all at the same time. El Olam, the Eternal God, is the author of all eternal things. Only God is eternal, and only God can make anyone or anything eternal. God knows the end from the beginning. Eternal life is that we may know God and his Son.

God’s ultimate goal is to bring his gift of salvation to the entire world. He has made provision for all to have eternal life when they receive his Son, Jesus Christ, as their Lord and Savior. All people will live forever, either in heaven or hell. Jesus was sent as our redeemer and he is eternal life.

Because of the New Covenant and the blood of Christ, we trust in the one who loved us enough to die for us, freeing us from sin so that we could have eternal life. Just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:21) No one can take this eternal life from us. Jesus has the power over death and life.

You loved us before you created the world. You want us to be with you forever. Jesus talked about this in John 14:1-6, when he told us not to let our hearts be troubled, and that many mansions were in his Father's house. He said he was going to get a place ready for us, and then come back and get us so that we can be with him. He wants us to see his glory. When God sends Jesus back, all will see his glory!

In Genesis 21:33, Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the LORD's name, acknowledging El Olam, The Eternal God and His Eternal Covenant and Promises. God follows through with his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Through both the godliness and messiness of this family, God is with them and helps them walk through perilous and adverse circumstances with victory.

You can be trusted to fulfill your promises! We must carry on the legacy! Even when circumstances come into our lives to discourage us, you want us to believe your promises, walk by faith and stay in communion with you. "But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart from generation to generation." (Psalm 33:11) We will pass this covenant on to our children. You are unchangeable, eternal and faithful. We don't know everything, but we do know you enough to trust you. Your covenant is eternal. The covenant of the possession of the land is eternal, and passed on to Abraham's descendants. You empower the righteous to stand firm forever.

We know because of your written word that we will be with you forever. We must be ready to be with you now. We must be right with you before we die. We do not know when we will die. We do not know when anyone will die. NOW is the time for salvation. The last thing Jesus commanded us before he left was to go into the world, under his power and authority, and share the gospel. When we are obedient to this command, our joy is made full and your presence is made manifest.  

We need to look at life with an eternal perspective. It brings us peace to know that, no matter what may happen on earth, we will know our loved ones for eternity. It brings us peace to know that those who suffer now will not suffer forever. Our trials are but for a season, and eternity cannot be fathomed. Trials come so our faith will be proved genuine, resulting in praise, glory and honor.

Mystery is associated with time. Jesus, you reveal and conceal things. You are light. You express truth. You expel darkness and reveal mysteries. You always reveal your plans to your servants.  You revealed the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven to us. 

All things, hidden or concealed, will be made known. Therefore, we live our lives as an open book. We greatly rejoice through faith. We are shielded by your power until the coming of salvation is revealed, resulting in praise. You are our dwelling place, our refuge, guide, our everlasting Father. You are our God forever and ever. Heaven and earth will pass away, but your words will never pass away. You have the words of eternal life. Your love endures forever, and you mercies are new every morning.

We express our love for you with trust, obedience, and telling others about you. We need to seek you, humble ourselves, turn from evil and number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. We will be faithful and obedient to your covenant, aim for the eternal crown through strict training and fix our eyes on what is unseen and eternal. We will purify ourselves, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. We flee evil and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love and gentleness. We will take hold of the eternal life we were called to. Added to our faith will be knowledge, goodness, self control, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love. We praise you that we will receive a rich welcome into God’s eternal kingdom. We will stay in your love, be merciful, save others and be over-comers.

We will praise, honor and glorify you forever as we enter your gates with thanksgiving and your courts with praise. You are good and your love and faithfulness endure forever. We will get to sit on your throne with you. Spiritually speaking, we are now seated with Christ Jesus in high and heavenly places.

You have orchestrated time. You made the day and the night, the seasons, the rotation of the earth and planets, etc. Everything was created to function according to your perfect design. You were in the beginning, before anything, and you are the end. Time stops when we are worshiping you. We want it to last forever. It is exciting for us to think that we will worship you, and rule and reign with you in Heaven forever.  You set eternity in our hearts. We know there is more than this world and we long for eternity. On our worst day, we can rejoice at the promise of eternal life!

You have accomplished some amazing things involving time.  In Isaiah 38, when King Hezekiah was ill and dying, he wept bitterly as he prayed to you, asking you to remember his devotion to you. You healed King Hezekiah, added 15 years to his life and made the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz. So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down. 

In Joshua 10:12-14, “On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stool still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!”

Our timing is never your timing. Just when it seems like you are going to be late, you are right on time. To you, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. You make everything thing beautiful in its own time. You have a timing for the things that you want to have happen in our lives. To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven. You planned out our purpose before you laid the foundations of the universe.

Time never stops! The time for what is marked on our calendars always comes. We are to redeem the time, and encourage each other as we see “The Day of The LORD” approaching. We actually purify ourselves when we look forward to Your Day. Only God the Father knows the Day. We will know the season, but not the time. We get closer to this day with each day that passes.

We have so much to look forward to when time stops. No more alarms! No more deadlines and time pressures! No more sin, fear, sickness or anticipation of death. Time is only temporary here on earth. The time is coming when time will stop forever. There won’t be a reason or purpose for time anymore. There will no need for the sun, moon or stars, because you will be our light. 

We praise you that you will return with a shout of victory. You will be our eternal King. You did say in Revelation 22:7, “Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this book.” ~ Until then, we will redeem the time, as you told us. We will make the most of what you have given us to do now, because we know what time holds for the future!