In his book The Circle Maker, Mark Batterson tells the story of Wayne and Diane, who started praying for both their child and their child’s spouse when they first found out Diane was pregnant. They decided to wait until the birth to find out their baby’s gender, but they prayed that God would reveal what the baby’s name should be, and in October 1983, the Lord gave them a girl’s name—Jessica. 

Then in December, the Lord gave them a boy’s name, and they started praying for Timothy. They didn’t know why God had given them two different names, but they prayed circles around both Jessica and Timothy until Timothy was born on May 5, 1984. Wayne and Diane continued to circle their son in prayer his whole life, and they also continued to pray for the girl he would one day marry. More than 22 years of prayers culminated on May 19, 2006, the day Timothy got married to a bride named Jessica.

Wayne and Diane’s future daughter-in-law was born October 19, 1983, in the same month that God had given them the name Jessica, and across the country, they were praying for her by name. They thought Jessica would be their daughter, not their daughter-in-law, but God knew.