Prayer Answered

At the 2025 Generation. Youth. Christ. (GYC) convention, Adventist Review held a writing contest. Young attendees were invited to write about a friendship that led them closer to Christ. Word count was limited to 600 words, and no use of artificial intelligence (AI) was permitted. Review editors assessed the submissions and selected this article as the winner.—Editors.

I met Jordan in 2024 during my freshman year at Blue Mountain Academy. From the moment I met him I knew that something was different about him. Jordan was always full of joy, and when you’d ask him why, he’d say something like “Because Christ has risen.” Being around him was always an encouraging experience.

Serious About His Beliefs

There are some things he did when I first met him that made me think, OK, that’s interesting . . . For example, one day I knocked on his door to ask him a question and opened it to find him sleeping on the floor. When I asked him why, he said, “I’m preparing for the end-times . . . I have to get used to not having a bed.”

I found in Jordan someone my age who’s serious about his beliefs. I could talk for hours about how God has used him to change my life in practically every way possible.

I found in Jordan someone my age who’s serious about his beliefs.

Many times, after church services, we would share how the message spoke to us. Through these conversations I came to understand that although Jordan isn’t perfect, he is following a perfect Savior. With the various challenges he faced in everyday life, he talked about “just surrendering to Christ.” The first time he told me this, I didn’t understand what he meant, and it took almost a year for me to internalize and understand this simple yet profound truth. It finally hit me that we should surrender all our decisions and worries to God.

A Young Man of Prayer

Jordan is a man who lives by prayer. He inspired me to actually pray seriously, and it has changed my life. I remember one time I prayed with Jordan about my life. Everything that could go wrong had gone wrong. It was a challenging time. My mom was sick, my grades were bad, I was having trouble getting used to my new school, and I just felt alone. I shared all this with Jordan, and immediately after, he said, “Let’s pray.” So I prayed with him, and for the first time in a really long time I poured out my heart to God.

I prayed an honest and unfiltered prayer. I told God what I was going through and then recited some of the things He promises in His Word. After the prayer a feeling of relief washed over me, and from then on I found myself praying throughout the day. God really did guide me, and this new habit has opened many doors. Most important, it has grown my relationship with God.

My friendship with Jordan is an example of what Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10 is all about: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.”

Jordan, if you ever read this, you are an answer to prayer. I asked God to send me people who would push me closer to Him. You’ve been one of the people who are doing just that—a constant example of a godly man.

Thank you, Jordan, for allowing God to use you.

I love you.