RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, 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)
At the close of a time of ministering in Pakistan and India, I said something to my wife and a colleague that took them by surprise. “I’m really tired,” I said. “It’s at times like this that I feel like giving up and just quitting.”
My friend looked shocked. “You mean you’re ready to go home?”
“No,” I said. “My flesh is weak. I’m tired. When I get tired, sometimes I feel like quitting.” I’d been in two-and-a-half weeks of intense ministry and spiritual warfare. It had drained me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Of course I wouldn’t quit, because I know God’s Spirit and power are greater than my weaknesses. But there are times we feel like we can’t go any further. Our bodies grow weary. Our hearts are tired. We need revival. We need God’s refreshing.
The good news is that His name is El Olam, “the Everlasting God.” He is without beginning and without end. He was before the beginning and will be after the end. He’s the creator of the universe. He’s eternal. The incredible thing about El Olam is that Isaiah says, “He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.”
There are two wonderful truths about knowing God as El Olam. First, He doesn’t grow weary. He never gets tired. When we’re exhausted, we can run into the arms of the One who is never fatigued. He becomes a well of renewal for our hearts. After I surprised my wife and colleague with my confession, I also told them, “Don’t worry. I’m not going to quit, because I know the One who never tires. He will refresh me. He will renew my heart, soul, and body.” And He did just that.
When we know God as El Olam, we have an eternal well from which we can drink. We don’t have to die of thirst in the desert. He’s our everlasting refreshment. But there’s a second wonderful truth about knowing God as El Olam. His understanding is from before time began, and His knowledge continues after the end of history. Often we become weary in well doing because we’re unsure of the outcome. But God is El Olam, the everlasting God. As Isaiah said, no one can fathom His understanding.
That means I can trust my past and my future into His hands. He knows everything and has all things under His control. He knows our circumstances. He understands our needs. He formed us. We were in His mind in eternity past, and He will never forget us in eternity future. There’s no situation too difficult for Him. No circumstance takes Him by surprise. He’s El Olam.
If you’ve grown weary and feel like giving up, then run to the arms of El Olam, the everlasting God. You’ll find the One who knows, understands, and refreshes. It never grows stale with Him. What a wonderful God! El Olam will renew you. Trust Him.