The recent death of Queen Elizabeth II, monarch of the United Kingdom, was an event that was long planned for by the royal family. Immediately upon the queen’s death, her eldest son, Charles became king. Before the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth, even before her death was announced to the public, the power and authority of the monarchy was automatically transferred to Charles. And without any official announcement, the words of the traditional song sung to British monarchs also changed for the first time since 1952. The song immediately changed from God save the Queen, to instead become, God Save the King:
“God save our gracious King, Long live our noble King, God save the King:
Send him victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us: God save the King.”
The words of the song are actually a prayer. It is a prayer asking God to grant to the monarch a long life, victory in battles, happiness, glory and a long reign over the people. While the definitive origins of this song are lost in time, the words were first published in 1745. This was a time when life was much more uncertain and sudden death was much more common. Without modern medicine such as antibiotics, x-rays, and laparoscopic surgery, it was much more likely that people would contract an illness that would end their lives. The life of a monarch was also threatened politically. Uprisings against government, invasions and wars were common. Assassination attempts occurred, even from within the royal family. Because the death of a monarch often meant a radical change in government and chaos in the everyday lives of the common people, it is no wonder that folks prayed that their monarch would live long so that their own lives would remain stable.
Today, I wonder what our country would be like if we all prayed this sort of prayer for each other. What would happen if Republicans sincerely prayed this prayer for Democrats? What if Democrats prayed this prayer for all Republicans? If Jesus calls us to love our neighbor while loving ourselves, doesn’t that include loving the very people that we vehemently disagree with? Can we pray for our political opponents to be happy, for them to live a long and glorious life? Can we pray for collaborative legislative victories that both Democrats and Republicans would both consider a win? What potential could the United States of America unleash if we could accomplish something as simple but as profound as this? –May God save all of us, may our lives be happy and glorious. May we all be victorious in this life and forevermore. Amen!
Article in the Rockford Squire Newspaper September 2022
