On Thursday September 8, 2022 I was in a queue to enter into BOXPARK in Wembley Park for an Awards Ceremony when my phone buzzed. I checked my screen and saw the notification from one of the news media, ‘Queen Elizabeth II is dead”. I looked around and saw that other people on the queue were doing the same. Since then, the passing of the Queen has taken centre stage in the media up till today when she was finally laid to rest.
For me personally, what struck me about the Queen was her unflinching and unapologetic devotion to God and openly declaring her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I learnt that there had been pressure on her to tone down her messages of faith but she never changed who she was or what she believed in.
Her strong faith was evidenced by her request in her first Christmas message in 1952, “Pray for me that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him and you, all the days of my life.’” It is no surprise therefore that the book published on her 90th birthday was titled, “The Servant Queen And The King She Serves”.
Interestingly, the Queen died about the time I was reading the book of Esther. While the two Queens were very different in terms of age and the circumstances they faced, one thing similar to both was their devotion to God and risking their positions to serve their God. I admire the Queen’s consistent public declaration of her faith in Christ even in a society which is becoming more and more secular.
Queen Elizabeth II was human and therefore not without her faults yet even during difficult times and in the midst of public criticism, she drew strength from her faith in God. One of her famous quotes was, “Throughout my life, the message and teachings of Christ have been my guide and in them I find hope. It is my heartfelt prayer that you will continue to be sustained by your faith in times of trial and encouraged by hope in times of despair.”. She was also quoted as saying, “For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, … is an inspiration and an anchor in my life.”
There are many who have no love for the royal family but the mammoth crowd that turned out to pay their respects to the Queen showed how much her personality impacted the lives of many.
Whatever people may of Queen Elizabeth II, no one can argue the legacy of faith that she left behind. I pray that this legacy will be remain and that King Charles III will walk in the faith that his mother lived and exemplified.
