This week the world received the unhappy news that Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning sovereign over Great Britain for the past seventy years, had died.
I wasn’t sure how to process the information.
The queen had been on her throne for as long as I could remember, but I had never met her. She was merely a face I associated with a country where I’d never been. I admired her sense of style—always a hat in the same color as her suit—always.
How many hats could she have owned?
I’d seen documentaries of her early life, knew of her rise to power, and had witnessed each addition of a family member as the royals grew and expanded. She’d been at the center of the family’s wheel of influence and her opinion on every matter—from the death of a well-loved princess, to the flamboyance of her grandson marrying an American actress—was always at the forefront of breaking news.
But what I didn’t know about her, and to me the most important part, was her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps if I had heard more of her addresses I would have picked up on that, but since her death, quote after quote has appeared, attributing her as the source.
She said she wished the Lord would return in her lifetime, so she could lay her crown at his feet.
She is also quoted: “I know just how much I rely on my faith to guide me through the good times and the bad. Each day is a new beginning. I know the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings and to put my trust in God. I draw strength from the message of hope in the Christian gospel.”
“For me the life of Jesus Christ . . .is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing.”
There are many more I could list, but each quote tells me how she lived her life and explains the way she is remembered.
Acts 16:31 says: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”
Truly, God saved the queen. May she enter into the joy of her reward.
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