Who already had His hand on the disciples before they believed in Jesus?
God did. He had His hand on the eleven before their faith. In John 17:6, Jesus prays to the Father, "Thine they were, and thou gavest them to me," showing God had chosen and given these men to Christ prior to their belief.
Les explains that the eleven disciples were not believers until Christ came onto the scene, yet God already had His finger on them. In John 17, Christ's high priestly prayer, Jesus tells the Father, "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they were, and thou gavest them to me." This shows God had chosen and given them to Christ beforehand. Les notes they are a picture of all who would become the Lord's through salvation. Jesus also says in verse 12, "I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost."
I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.