Antes do Princípio

I am God, and there is no other
I am God, and there is none like me
From the beginning, I made known the end
From ancient times, what is still to come
My purpose will stand, and I will do all that pleases me

God never changes
He is eternally perfect
Nothing is added to Him
He does not undergo changes
He learns nothing from time
Time cannot influence Him or even age Him
Because He is perfect
And what is perfect does not undergo changes
Needs no additions
Time does not surprise Him
Time is just another of His creations
Indeed, He created all things
What exists came from Him, and He is the foundation on which all things stand

This great God does not change in His being
Does not alter His purposes
Which are firmly established
According to His sovereign will
From a human perspective, we might suggest that God changes His mind or alters His plans
But that is not true from God's perspective, after all, He perfectly knows the future having planned it according to His unchanging decree
He always acts as He planned
From the preludes of eternity
Perfect knowledge
Unlimited power
If He says, "Let there be light"
Then light will be seen

From a universe shrouded in shadows, light emerges simply because He said, "Let there be light"
Unchanging, sovereign, glorious, and self-sufficient
Does not seek counsel, does not repent
Is not a man, does not resemble us
Even though He created us in His image
He is Holy, Holy, Holy
We are poor, blind, and naked
God is spirit
God is the beginning
And from the beginning, He prepared for us a strong plan
Architected an eternally perfect purpose
Even before the beginning, His decree was ready for us
He did not cast us by chance but established us in His design
In order to bring glory to His merciful character
He outlined the astonishing plan of redemption
Before a universe heard His longing for light
Echoed in a vast infinity the painful desire for the Cross
Let there be a Cross
And everything began for us

I am the same
I am the first
And I am the last

From the oldest days, I am
Acting, who can undo?
For my own sake
For my own sake
I do this
I will not give my glory to another
It is in Him that we find the beginning of our journey

In the grand season of eternity
That stretches back before Genesis 1:1
The universe was not created, and creation only existed in the mind of the great creator
In His sovereign majesty, God remained completely alone
I speak of that period before the creation of the heavens and the earth, there were no angels to sing praises
Nor creatures to occupy His attention
Nor rebels to be brought into submission
The great God was completely alone
In the midst of the dreadful silence of His vast universe
He was sovereign
Could create or not create at His pleasure
Could create this way or that way
Could create one world or a million worlds
And who was there to resist His will?
Could create a million creatures and place them in conditions of absolute equality, with the same abilities
Or could call into existence a million creatures, each different from the others, having nothing in common except their condition as creatures
And who was there to challenge His right?

The Lord established His throne in the heavens
And as king, He rules over all that exists
The ability to behold His sovereignty makes all the difference
It is this glimpse that makes us noble
Not the money or the name we inherit
Not in our skin or the clothes we wear
True nobility resides in the glimpse of His throne
Blessed are those who by grace can behold the king who sits majestically on the heavenly throne

He clothed Himself in glory
He wrote history
Always trusting in His will, never erred nor did anything halfway
Saw that it was good
Looked at all He wanted and desired
After appreciating what He created
God saw that it was very good
Because He created all things
Surely it was not to fill some lack
We are talking about God
Complete and absolute in His being and in His will
That is what makes Him God
He did not create all things to become happier
Rather, all that was made was made for the praise of His glory
So that He would act as God and receive from the universe the honor and praise that are due to Him

Oh, the depth of the riches
Both of the wisdom and knowledge of God
How unsearchable are His judgments
How inscrutable His ways
Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Who has been His counselor?
Who has given to Him first that He should be repaid?
For from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things
Glory be to Him
Forever, forever
Amen, amen, amen.