The year was 1932, and Edith had just graduated from high school. She attended a meeting at her Presbyterian Church where a Unitarian minister spoke on the topic, “How I know Jesus is not the Son of God and how I know the Bible is not the Word of God.” After he finished, she stood to offer a rebuttal, but a college student on the other side of the room beat her to it, “My name is Francis Schaeffer, and I want to say that I know Jesus is the Son of God and He is also my Savior.” Edith wondered to herself in the moment, “Who is that boy?” When it was Edith’s turn to speak, she cited several reputable Biblical scholars who articulated an alternative view to the one espoused by the liberal minister. As she spoke, Francis wondered, “Who is that girl?” They started dating that same evening and married three years later. In 1955, Francis and Edith Schaeffer (1914-2013) created a study center in Switzerland where people could seek honest answers to sincere questions. They called it L’Abri Fellowship, a French term for shelter. They opened their chalet home in a remote Swiss village for people seeking refuge from the pressures of a relentlessly secular age. Edith created a warm, hospitable environment for honest inquiry and learning. They were a couple devoted to prayer, as expressed in Edith’s book, Life of Prayer. Prayer is active engagement with God, who is both personal and there for us (Francis’ first book was titled The God Who is There). A portion of a prayer from her book leads us into prayer:
Edith Schaeffer
Lord, don’t let me waste this opportunity to learn what You want me to learn, to be what You want me to be, to prove to Satan that I really love You, as Job did, and not just for the good things You give…Lord, forgive me for the waste of that never-to-be-repeated combination of circumstances to grow in the midst of affliction and to pray with trust before the suffering becomes a part of past history.
Edith Schaeffer, Life of Prayer
Rev. Dr. Peter James served 42 years as the senior of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA — 21 years in the 20th century and 21 years in the 21st century. He retired in 2021 and now serves as Pastor-in-Residence at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Even as a pastor, prayer came slowly to Pete. Read Pete’s story.