Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us. For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. Ephesians 1:3–10 (RSV)
'Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world.' The universe is between 13.7 and 14 billion years old. Human beings have been around for 200,000 years. The percentage of our time on the universe's stage is so ridiculously small it isn't worth trying to figure it out.
My mind goes into neutral when I consider the amount of time since the beginning of all things. The numbers are too big. The beginning of all things is so far in the past that it makes no sense. Still, St. Paul states that we are chosen of God the Father before all things were called into being.
Here is where misguided souls wander off into the folly of trying to explain predestination in all of its incomprehensible forms. Attempting to sort out what this means in how God has ordered things according to His will and purpose lies beyond my poor mind. We want a God who makes sense to us at all times, something God refuses to do. He is hidden from us, as are His will and purpose for all things.
We receive from God the Father His love and mercy, which has been ours before anything existed. Yes, we are destined in His love to be His dear children. I pray we see that we need not know how God has done what He has chosen to do. We are loved before all things and will be love beyond the end of time.
Perhaps this great mystery will one day be unwound for us. Maybe it won't. In truth, it does not matter one wit for we know the One who loves us has before the long ages were called into being.