Back when I first started realizing that God wanted to use me in campus ministry, I developed a prayer exercise that, sadly, I have gotten away from. I would sit and pray each night for a student that God was going to put into my life. Who they were, when I would know them, and what my role would be in their life was a mystery. But I wanted to know that when I did eventually know them, that God had already heard earnest prayers on their behalf.

What's interesting to know is that this is exactly the kind of praying Jesus Christ did for me. As he prayed in John 17, he spoke to God about me. He asked God to keep ME from Satan. He asked God to sanctify ME. He told God that he was consecrating himself for ME. He asked God to help ME believe in him.

A lot of time has elapsed, and I have now appeared on the earth. God has stopped, looked down, and gotten to know me. A light went off over his head and he suddenly had that familar look as he said "Hey, YOU'RE that one my Son told me about! He asked me to show you some things..."