Thought for the month....
October
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away peacefully on 8th September 2022 after 70 years of loyal and committed service to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth nations. In the days following her death many who knew or met the queen have shared memories of her publicly. A recurring theme in many of those tributes was her faith and what a large part it played in her life and how it helped her greatly over the 70 years of her reign.
Since her coronation in 1953 the people of this nation have sung ‘God save the Queen’ at countless events or ceremonies and often in the presence of the Queen herself. But how many people actually stopped to think about what they were singing? The Bible says,
“by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God”
Ephesians 2:8
God gives the gift of Salvation to those who come to him in faith. But Salvation from what? What is it that we all need to be saved from? The answer to that is our sin and the consequences of our sins. We have all done wrong in the sight of God because God is Holy. Even the Queen was a sinner despite her morals and all the good she did during her 96 years. How do I know that? I know that because the Bible says,
“all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”
Romans 3:23
And,
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
1 John 1:10
In her 2011 Christmas message the Queen said this,
“God sent into the world a unique person, neither a philosopher or a general, important though they are, but a Saviour with the power to forgive. Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can heal broken families, it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God’s love.”
She then quoted the last verse of the carol ‘O Little Town Of Bethlehem’,
“O Holy child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray,
Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born in us today.”
She went on to say;
“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 Jesus Christ our Lord.”
It is through faith in Jesus Christ that we can be saved from our sin. In the Hymn ‘There is a green hill far away’ we find these words,
“He died that we might be forgiven,
He died to make us good,
That we might go at last to Heaven,
Saved by His precious blood”
If her late majesty the Queen had true faith in the saving power of the precious blood of Christ, then her sins were forgiven. That means the moment she passed away she will have found herself in the glory of Heaven, and in the presence of her Saviour Jesus Christ. If this is the case, then God really did save the Queen.
Now in God’s grace we look to the future under the reign of King Charles III, and with all sincerity we can say ‘God save the King!’ We pray that if he has not done so already the King may put his faith in Jesus Christ, who, the Bible tells us is the King of Kings, that he too may be saved from his sins.
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12
Let’s not forget that we all need to be saved, and we all can be saved through faith in Jesus Christ. Even though the Queen has now gone, her prayer can still be answered if we find room in our lives for the love of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
RM