Ellen’s friends listened politely as she shared her experiences with them. She had arranged to meet with them so that she could tell them about the love of God and the difference He could make in their lives.

But Ellen’s friends weren’t convinced. They thought it was a good story. They were happy for her. But they weren’t ready to commit to any lifelong changes.

Ellen refused to give up. She loved her friends. She couldn’t just let them live without the hope she had in Jesus. But what could she do? She had already talked to each one of them, and it was clear that they didn’t want to listen to her anymore.

Then Ellen came up with a plan. She would pray for them—and that’s what she did. Day after day she prayed. She even spent entire nights in prayer. She prayed for each one of her friends by name. She prayed that God would touch their hearts. She prayed that they would realize the truth of her words. She prayed that they too would learn to love Jesus.

Ellen continued to seek out her friends, praying for them continually. When her friends saw how persistent she was, some of them thought she was a little out of her mind. Sometimes her friends agreed to meet with her out of sheer curiosity. Sometimes they were just being nice. But one by one, they started to listen, and one by one, they decided to accept Jesus into their lives.

Ellen was so happy that her persistent prayers for her friends had been answered! Now that her friends were also friends with Jesus, they would truly be friends forever.