The Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England

Queen Elizabeth passed away last week after serving her country for 70 years. It is hard to imagine that she ruled longer than most of us have been alive. I had the privilege of asking two Englishmen this past weekend for their take on her death. They both spoke very highly of her commitment to service and of her ever-growing faith in Jesus Christ. During her reign, she shared with us a glimpse of what her faith meant to her. In her 2011 Christmas message she said, “Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves — from our recklessness or our greed. God sent into the world a unique person – neither a philosopher nor a general, important though they are, but a Saviour, with the power to forgive… It is my prayer that on this Christmas day we might all find room in our lives for the message of the angels and for the love of God through Christ our Lord.”

In preparation for her funeral, the queen chose every reading and song to be used during the weeklong remembrance of her life. On Wednesday, as her body was carried to Westminster Hall, there was a short service during which there were numerous Bible readings. One came from John chapter 14 where Jesus was talking with His disciples in anticipation of His death. It said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

It is comforting to know that Queen Elizabeth II had a deep faith in her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She was able to serve for so long because of her sincere dedication to God and country. We can all learn from her amazing example.

Because of His Faithfulness,
Dr. Sharon Brobst, Director

Image by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash