Remembering Queen Elizabeth II

This is the Truth Network. To stop and pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, a world leader for decades who's passing this past week has impacted the whole world really, and I want to do, I want to recognize and remember her in the setting of another very important memory, especially to me as an American, and that would be the September 11 attacks, which occurred 22 years ago yesterday. So we are commemorating that anniversary in our nation right now, what took place on American soil, and just to be clear, to just remind you, on that day in 2001, there were coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out against our country. There were four attacks, and these attacks came at the hands of militant Islamic extremists from the network Al Qaeda. These attacks against the United States cost not only our nation, but other nations almost 3,000 lives. 2,996 people died, really from all over the world, because people all over the world worked at World Trade in Lower Manhattan in New York City. So on the morning of September 11, these attacks began to unfold.

Our nation, in shock, devastated, is really the framework for my comments today about a world leader, and something I'd like to say, my memory of her firsthand, this would be personal. After September 11, which was a Tuesday, the following Saturday, we had scheduled flights from our local airport in Charlotte to take a team, basically a team of intercessors, a prayer team, to Europe. We were intending to go to Wales, Germany, and Albania on that trip. If I recall, it was an eight-day trip. So our flight on that Saturday out of Charlotte connected into one of the airports there in New York, I'm not exactly sure, but suffice it to say, New York City, and from New York City, the departure flight, the path of the departure flight was over Lower Manhattan and the site of the devastation of the Twin Towers at World Trade. From the air, it was later in the day, and I think it was dark, or getting dark, from the air we saw the smoke and the smoldering. The column of smoke was so very visible and so ominous, and I hadn't thought of it that way. I had seen the television reports and for four days had watched those unfold, and in that process, there was of course the consideration to change our plans and not to, quote, risk flying during such a risky time.

We decided to go forward with this trip, and it never actually seemed prudent to me, or I couldn't think of one reason why we would change our plans. I was not fearful, and I was not concerned, and fast forward to what I'm saying to you, to see the smoke bellowing up that high in the air visible, or rather visible that high in the air, really brought home to me what the people in the area, in the surrounding area, had experienced that day first hand. It just brought it home. For everyone on that flight that day, I think it's safe to say we were considerably impacted.

Maybe everyone felt as I did. I know for me, the soberness just intensified. My seat happened to be on the side of the airplane right over, as we passed over World Trade, as I said, as it was getting later in the day and Dart was approaching.

Amazing sight, just amazing. So, crossing the Atlantic, we were scheduled to land at Heathrow International in London, which is of course a huge international airport, and this is the point of my memory and my sharing with you today, that as we debarked, as our plane debarked there at the gate at Heathrow, I realized how quiet everything and everyone was. I realized how sober and somber they were, and I didn't catch it like immediately, but pretty quickly realized, reasonably quickly, I understood the people were responding to Americans arriving in the UK, fresh from this traumatic, historical, life-changing event on our soil. They, as their facial expressions came into view, reflected something I had never experienced before. I think, honestly, it was compassion and maybe a sympathy. The hush was discernible, and I don't want to exaggerate this at all.

I don't think I'm exaggerating at all. I sensed great honor, respect, along with sympathy and compassion, just coming like you could feel the people resonating, imparting is a better word, imparting to you their feeling for what you, as an American, in that moment were experiencing. Now, that is my testimony. That is my story.

That happened to me. You know, when you travel internationally, you don't always have favor, particularly some nations you may have zero favor as an American. So you're sensitive to that, you're aware of that, and you're just thankful when you do have favor, and your nation is appreciated. I'm certain all people from all nations would say the same thing.

So I don't mean that that just applies to me as an American. But that day, the opposite was true, or rather the height of favor was true. And throughout the time that we were on the ground at Heathrow, we experienced, it was like the people as a crowd would part as you walked by.

I hope I'm doing this justice because I didn't realize exactly what set that in motion. But now we know because it has been so widely reported, you know, over the years, I'm tying this into the passing of Queen Elizabeth last week, and that is her tradition-breaking decision immediately after 9-11 to play the national anthem of the United States at the palace in London. There was a memorial service at St. Paul's where our national anthem was played.

When I say our national anthem, I mean the American national anthem, there reportedly were tears shed that day at that memorial service for the lives that had been lost. And also later, Queen Elizabeth took an extra step, and I'm just going to read exactly what was reported by one source. And I quote, Queen Elizabeth II made an unprecedented move in the immediate aftermath of 9-11. Two days after Americans were left stunned by the deadliest terror attacks in the country's history, on September 11, 2001, the British monarch, who died on Thursday at the age of 96, broke tradition to show solidarity with the shaken nation.

The monarch directed the band of the Coldstream Guards to play the Star Spangled Banner during the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace in order to pay tribute to the lives that were lost on that tragic day. Wow, what a report. You know, growing up, my mother esteemed Queen Elizabeth. They were born months apart in the same year, 1926. So, they were born at the end of one horrendous world war, followed by what we call the Great Depression, and then followed by that with another horrendous, deadly world war. So I think those events, they just grew up, they matured faster. I think it shaped them in a way that having not experienced that personally firsthand, it's probably hard for us to grasp. But they were impacted in similar ways, I think, explains the reason my mother could identify with Queen Elizabeth, why she felt so one with her. They had so many of the same values.

Their worldview was very similar. Different life settings, for sure, but as young women in their early 20s, they began a life with very mature responsibilities. And I think, and this is just my view, they were quick to realize that life and relationships are precious.

They are precious. And so, when other generations, succeeding generations will come along and hardly realize or acknowledge that life is precious, family is precious, relationships are precious, you can imagine you have to dig a little deeper down into the heart, down into the soul to pull out the right response. I'm speaking of that generation, and specifically, well, I count my mother in this company, but especially for Queen Elizabeth too. So I want to say today on this broadcast of this episode, from everyone here at the Running With Horses podcast, considering yesterday's marking of the 22nd anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the United States of America, and also the four days that have transpired since the Queen's passing on September 8, I want to say that from us, for her unusual and unorthodox display of support for all of us as Americans in playing our national anthem, which is so precious to us, and for her godly influence in the United Kingdom and around the world, we honor and pay tribute to a woman whose life is exemplary.

As a Christian, recognized as an influential world leader for good. From testimonies of many of those in the United Kingdom, she was kind and fair-minded, but strong, committed to principle, disciplined, and significantly, and I say very significantly, devoted to the posterity of her family as well as to her nation. I would extend that to say, a heart that thinks like that about your own family does extend to the families of the world.

It's a natural convergence. By virtue of the deep care for your own family and your own nation, you think about other families in other nations and what is the best for them. You think about and you care about their well-being. From the reports that I've read, it sounds like the Queen was this way. Two verses stand out both in Proverbs, they're familiar, they are familiar verses, but they fit right here especially concerning Queen Elizabeth II. Proverbs 29 verse 2, when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.

And Proverbs 14 verse 34, righteousness exalts a nation. So today Father, we pray for our friends in the United Kingdom in every part of that border and every part of the influence of Queen Elizabeth II. We pray for the people. We pray for their families. We pray for the peace of that nation. We pray for the Queen's family, her children, her grandchildren, and the great-grandchildren to come. Lord, we pray that their posterity will continue to represent and reflect a Christian heritage, a godly righteous authority, a righteousness that exalts that nation.

We do pray and bless them, release our faith for them, and believe from the deepest part of our compassion and our heart today. Thank you for a life well lived. Thank you God for your hand on this woman and for giving to us a life that we can imitate. We bless you Father, from whom all blessing, goodness, and righteousness flows. In Jesus' name, Amen. So thank you Lord for, oh I just love it, just a life well lived. What a testimony. A long, strong life. Do not forget, you have the mind of Christ, we have the mind of Christ. It sounds like the Queen had the mind of Christ, therefore her thought life was like a righteous king, like a righteous queen.

The thought life of the King of Kings. Thanks again, and we'll see you next time.