On the 6th of February 1952 I was listening to the radio. Suddenly the programme was interrupted by a BBC announcer, solemnly declaring ‘The King is dead, Long live the Queen.’ It was one of the most impactful memories of my early childhood. I was eight years of age. The much-loved King George VI, who had called the nation to prayer in the darkest of days and led the nation safely through the Second World War, had died in his sleep.
On the 8th September 2022, after an afternoon of uncertainty about the Queen’s health, the BBC announcer told the nation that the Queen had passed away peacefully at Balmoral. Our beloved Queen had died.
As I write, the tributes are pouring in from around the globe to a Sovereign who had not only remained utterly faithful to her destiny as Queen, but also to the God she served so faithfully throughout her life. It was only last month, on the 3rd August 2022 that she said, “Throughout my life, the message and teachings of Christ have been my guide and in them I find hope.” And in her many Christmas messages to the nation and the Commonwealth, she rarely failed to testify to her love and faith in Jesus, the Child of Bethlehem. “For me,” she said, “the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace is an inspiration and an anchor in my life.”
Yesterday her hope was finally realised as her Saviour took her home. Her anchor in the rock of Jesus Christ is secure for eternity. As news of her passing spread, the flag over her home at Windsor Castle was lowered to half-mast, and simultaneously an extraordinary and brilliant rainbow lit up the darkening sky – surely, an amazing sign of God’s covenant love for his daughter, now receiving her “Well done, good and faithful servant” from the King of all Kings!
For many years, believers have been praying the words from our national anthem over the Queen – “God save our gracious Queen – Long may she reign over us” – knowing that her presence and her faith have provided a godly covering over the nation and a godly example to her people. God heard and answered those prayers for all of her 96 years. How extraordinary that she was still serving the nation until the day before her final decline. On Tuesday the 6th September, she invited Liz Truss to form a new Government as Prime Minister. My prayer is that this final act of her reign at Balmoral Castle, will be an inspiration to the new Prime Minister and that the Queen’s godliness will be an abiding influence on her premiership.
As the people both mourn the loss of the Queen and welcome King Charles III as their Monarch, let us renew our prayers for Charles, that in his reign as King he will not forget how the presence and power of God were the driving force at the heart of his mother’s life. We do indeed pray most fervently that God will save the King!
Thank you for your very reassuring statement re-quoted below:
As I write, the tributes are pouring in from around the globe to a Sovereign who had not only remained utterly faithful to her destiny as Queen, but also to the God she served so faithfully throughout her life. It was only last month, on the 3rd August 2022 that she said, “Throughout my life, the message and teachings of Christ have been my guide and in them I find hope.” And in her many Christmas messages to the nation and the Commonwealth, she rarely failed to testify to her love and faith in Jesus, the Child of Bethlehem. “For me,” she said, “the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace is an inspiration and an anchor in my life.”
Yesterday her hope was finally realised as her Saviour took her home. Her anchor in the rock of Jesus Christ is secure for eternity. As news of her passing spread, the flag over her home at Windsor Castle was lowered to half-mast, and simultaneously an extraordinary and brilliant rainbow lit up the darkening sky – surely, an amazing sign of God’s covenant love for his daughter, now receiving her “Well done, good and faithful servant” from the King of all Kings!
Thank you Peter, I have served with you in the past on the ISDM. I truly respect and believe all that you write & even recently taught on your teaching regarding shutting the doors in our lives that could be negatively affecting us. Just wanted to thank you again for your commitment to the truth. My prayer recently was, “please God, let her have known you”, because I had not read much, one way or the other, confirming this. But, this blog post was truly an answer to my prayers. I believe that she was a most godly woman by what I had heard, but now I feel convinced and blessed to know she is with Jesus. Thank you for that confirmation.
Peter
Thank you for these words of truth and comfort.
I was born in 1951 and have only know the Queen being there.
She was indeed such a witness to the security we find in Christ.
I had another little cry when I read your blog .We shall indeed miss her .
Eileen Cardwell
Thank you Peter, as always, for your heartfelt message. May our Fellowhip ave your permission to re-publish this message on our website, with appropriate acknowledgement of authorship of course?
Beautifully said, and so true….Amen!!
Hello Peter,
A magnificent tribute to Her Majesty’s faith in God her redeemer.
Let us all now pray that King George 111 will be saved.
Blessings to you, and to your family.
Paul Penman
Australia.
The loss of our dear Queen has touched me more deeply than I might have imagined. I think that, as some commentators have expressed, her passing marks the end of an era. I have known no other leader to have exhibited her strength of character and faith in the one who has provided that strength. Those of us who share this faith in the King of kings are all members of the royal priesthood that link us together as family. I suppose the Queen’s passing has reminded me of my own mortality as well as the passing of my own dear mum a few years ago at the age of 94. But as difficult as these times are, we must hold onto the great memories, continue to uphold the banner of truth that has been handed down to us and to remind ourselves that we will be reunited again in the great kingdom to come. What a magnificent day that will be!
My wife (born in England) and I are Canadians and we were privileged to attend Flagship 2018 at Ellel Grange and it stands as one of the most influential and blessed times of our lives!
Canada, like Australia and other members of the Commonwealth has a strong bond with the United Kingdom and we pray this legacy will remain secure under our new monarch, King Charles III.
As we close our eyes in prayer for those who mourn this loss, may we be reminded of all the times our Lord has comforted us in the past and will certainly continue to do so, right on up to his return!
God saved the Queen; God save the King!
Thank you Peter for the beautiful words, attributed to a true woman of substance, our wonderful Queen Elizabeth II R.I.P, risen to glory, who served God and her country! Long live the king! King Charles III.
Queen Elizabeth is so much a part of all of our lives because we and all of our relatives have their own memories of her. We are all connected and our involvement with her has always been a light in our lives as she spoke faith and hope in hard times and shared every joy and celebrated everything good. She will always be.
Thank you for your words about her. Greetings from Prince Edward Island in Canada
Peter, you put it so perfectly succinctly. As someone from one of the commonwealth nations my life has been so positively impacted in many ways by her stewardship. The one I am most grateful to God for is seeing her as a living example of Christian discipleship and her faithfulness to the Lord in belief and in action as a Queen – a stewardship so glaringly acknowledged through out her life. May her sweet soul rest in perfect peace. Amen.
Dear Peter,
Amen, to all that you have said. She was, as has been said, ‘a beacon of integrity’. Our late Queen kept every promise she had made, and her dedication to the role that was placed upon her was outstanding. We join together in prayer for our new King, and his prime minister.
Our queen has gone to meet her King. Hallelujah. Praying that her son meets His Son.