Day 251: A Higher Throne

 

DAY 251

Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic

A series of daily reflections for people of faith

by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

pastorrobert@paxpres.org

Week Thirty-six    Friday 20 November 2020

A Higher Throne

“The queen attends church every Sunday and prays every night before bed, grounding rites that have been an essential component of her iconic resilience. Whatever worries the world throws at her, she believes there is a higher throne on which to lay them.” - From a current magazine article on Queen Elizabeth II.

If we think we are experiencing pressure and stress due to the pandemic and all the disruption it has caused, consider what it must feel like on the shoulders of the world’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who has long been known for her quiet deep faith, kneeling at her bedside each night to pray, a habit handed down to her by her mother and her grandmother.

Two spiritual dynamics influence the Queen that are unique to her: first, she is The Supreme Governor of the Church of England as all English monarchs have been since the founding of the C of E in 1558. Second, the occupant of the English throne has been understood as having been appointed by God from which it derives its authority, a political/religious doctrine known as ‘the divine right of kings.’ This comes through clearly in the excellent Netflix series “The Crown.”

But there is a personal spiritual side to the Queen which was shown briefly in the same series in her meeting with Billy Graham, with whom she developed a friendship over many years, part of her cultivation of a quiet and deep faith that understands ‘a higher throne’ than her own.

It is a throne she knows of only too well and to which she appeals every night in her prayers: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16 NKJV. A ‘higher throne’ indeed.

Reflective question: In what ways does this ‘higher throne’ function in your walk with the Lord?  

Reflective Scripture: Revelation 5:13 – “’To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’”

Reflective hymn:

“Praise, my Soul, The King of Heaven” – Henry Lyte (1793-1847)

Queen Elizabeth II’s chosen hymn for the processional in her wedding

at Westminster Abbey in 1947.

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven; to His feet thy tribute bring!

Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, evermore His praises sing:

Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise the everlasting King.