On September 19, 2022, the truths of the gospel resonated through the magnificent Gothic vault of Westminster Abbey. An estimated ten million viewers watched the celebration of the life and death of Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
Throughout her life, the queen spoke openly of her faith. In 2021, when health issues prevented her from attending the General Synod Service of the Church of England, her son, Prince Edward, relayed her message: “None of us can slow the passage of time; and while we often focus on all that has changed in the intervening years, much remains unchanged, including the gospel of Christ and His teachings.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury eloquently expressed the hope that lay beyond the grave for the queen: “The pattern for many leaders is to be exalted in life and forgotten after death. The pattern for all who serve God—famous or obscure, respected or ignored—is that death is the door to glory.”
Like Elizabeth, who was crowned queen at a young age, Uzziah was only sixteen when he became the tenth king of the ancient nation of Judah. For most of his fifty-two-year reign, he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. But sadly, pride ultimately brought his downfall.
Isaiah, who prophesied during Uzziah’s reign, was in great distress regarding the moral decline of his nation. Undoubtedly, the long-reigning monarch’s death and shameful end exacerbated Isaiah’s anguish.
At this low point, God dramatically revealed Himself to Isaiah. In the year King Uzziah died, the prophet saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, surrounded by seraphim who sang praises to Him whose glory filled the whole earth.
Perhaps the exquisite beauty of Queen Elizabeth’s Christ-honoring funeral was a small foretaste of the glory to be revealed when the King of kings and Lord of lords ultimately establishes His kingdom. Then every eye will see, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
If the proper protocol in addressing Queen Elizabeth was to express honor to be her Majesty’s humble and obedient servant, how much greater is the call to be the humble and obedient servant of Him who sits on a higher throne, whose kingdom will never end?
Are you worshipping the one who sits on a higher throne?
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(photo courtesy of pixabay.com.)
Doris T. Stephens has taught in public and private schools and universities. She has also worked in administrative positions in distance education and was the project director for a PBS series to teach Spanish to children. She is actively engaged in local and international Christian ministries and serves on the board of directors for the imago Dei ministry to the French-speaking world.