Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. -- Psalm 32:6

As I write this last meditation, Edith Schaeffer is 78-years-old and still working hard, spending most of her time in Rochester L'Abri. God willing, she will be 79 on November 3, 1993. Almost nine years have passed since the death of her husband, and she has carried on their work with the talents and tireless energy God gives her. The mighty waters often rose as they fought together, especially in Fran's last years, but they continued in prayer and God sustained her faith through Fran's illness and after his death. Over more than thirty years, the Schaeffers and L'Abri have demonstrated God's power through prayer to overcome Satan in all things and glorify God.

By His Spirit, God often gives widows, or widowers, more opportunities to serve Him, and demonstrates His power to overcome their tragic loss and bring good out of evil. He will heal us with His love, and enable us to glorify Him and disappoint Satan by empowering us to go on because Jesus Christ has defeated our last enemy--death.

"'Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:54-58

By His grace, God has given Edith Schaeffer a wider ministry as a widow than she knew when Fran was alive. To demonstrate the reality of prayer, and to show that God is all-sufficient to meet every need, God allowed Fran to die before Edith, and He has shown through her that He can accomplish great things through single individuals who are devoted to honoring Him.

After the death of Francis Schaeffer, Edith came forth from serving in the background with a new life and vitality all her own. Intellectually, she is equal to her husband, and still carries on discussions with believers and unbelievers much the same as he did. As a writer, she is more prolific than her husband, and all of her writings apply her husband's innovative approach to philosophical and theological teaching in the practical areas of home and family life. With her autobiographical works, she shows how they lived on the basis of their teachings and how God answered their prayers. When Fran and Edith were married, God blended two lives together in a beautiful way to serve Him; and apart, God has given her the guidance and strength to reach out successfully into new areas of ministry, such as the arts and music.

Edith Schaeffer still prays for those of the Lord's choice to come to L'Abri and for the Lord to provide the food and shelter for those He sends. As she prepares her menus for those coming to dinner, she still prays for God to send His "surprise" guests. One of her delights is asking each person who knocks on her door, "Well, how did you get here?" because she wants to learn how God has been working in their lives to bring them to L'Abri, that God might be glorified immediately for His leading. Some, who have misunderstood her question, have replied, "Well, you invited me!" Edith prays for those coming to L'Abri for high tea as she cooks, but she does not pray out of a legalistic compulsion, thinking, "Now I am preparing a menu, so now I must take time to pray for people to come and eat." No, she prays out of her love and wonder to a who God will send her people to serve. She prays for the specific needs of those she knows will be there, because she knows that her prayers will make a difference in each one who comes. She prays that their questions may be answered, or that they will ask questions that will help others, and that God will give her the needed answers to share. Prayer for others is the natural and supernatural joy of her life, because Jesus is her closest Friend and she maintains a Christlike, servant-spirit through Him. Her prayers for others come naturally, because God has implanted His love for us in her heart.

When people talk to Edith on the phone, almost always before they hang up, Edith says, "Let's pray." Whether a local or long distance call, Edith prays. After almost 79 years, the life of prayer comes to her so spontaneously that silent and spoken prayers in almost every context make up a large part of her life in addition to her special daily quiet times.

For her quiet times, Edith reads Daily Light each day, and in addition reads through her Bible. She does not skip around, but reads straight through expecting God to speak to her personally by His written Word. She writes notes or prayers to God in her Bible as she prays, and dates her notes. Over the years, she has written thousands of notes to God through several Bibles. She often prays in the context of a verse, using its words or phrases in praising God or in applying them to her spiritual needs, the needs of L'Abri, or the needs of others.

When Edith prays out loud with others, she praises God and thanks Him especially for the work He has done through Christ in the person's life for whom she is praying. She thanks God for bringing the people of His choice together, and for the work He is now doing in each person's life. She intercedes for any special needs the other person has, and will pray for some of the needs of L'Abri believing that when people unite in prayer God will respond as He has promised. These are some of the ways God has led the Edith to pray as He has taught her over the years, and her prayer life is simply the supernatural outgrowth of her salvation and spiritual life.

The ministry of L'Abri and Edith's continuing ministry is God's answer in the Twentieth Century to Paul's prayer in the First. Paul prayed for the Church: "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight" (Philippians 1:9). A major purpose in life is loving God and others intelligently, and our prayer requests will reflect love, reason, and faith as we pray and read the Bible. Indeed, as our knowledge and depth of insight increase, our love for God and compassion for others will increase. If not, we are not true believers or our orthodoxy has become cold and sterile.

Most of us have met some who have professed to be highly intelligent and Christian, who have allowed themselves to become puffed up with pride or who have used their intellect to beat down others or make others submit to their heartless doctrines. By the grace of God, Francis and Edith Schaeffer did not succumb to the temptation to use their intellect to build themselves up or tear others down. Through L'Abri, they remained humble servants of all, and their love for others motivated them to build others up in true faith; for this reason they led many skeptical and cynical people to the Savior. By their example, they taught others to pray that increased knowledge would not puff them up, but show them more ways to express the love of God.

Prayer

Dear Father, as I go on in a life of prayer, and bring every need to you, strengthen me so I will not be anxious about anything. I will devote myself to prayer for Jesus' sake. Amen.

© Copyright L. G. Parkhurst, Jr. Revised Edition 2008
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