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The Supreme Governor of the Church of England, Queen Elizabeth II, has written that she is “very grateful” for prayers said for her, adding that she has felt God’s faithfulness during her 64 years on the throne.
The Queen made her comments in the foreword to a new book, The Servant Queen and the King She Serves, published by three British Christian charities as an evangelistic tool to mark her 90th birthday, which Britain will celebrate in June.
The book, published the Bible Society, HOPE, and the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, uses the Queen’s own words to describe her faith in God and is said to offer “rare insights into the Queen’s personal thoughts and Christian faith.”
“I have been — and remain — very grateful to you for your prayers and to God for his steadfast love. I have indeed seen his faithfulness,” the Queen wrote before referring to cultural changes she has seen during her long life as the longest-reigning monarch in British history.
“The extent and pace of change has been truly remarkable,” she wrote. “We have witnessed triumphs and tragedies.” And she alluded to problems in the Middle East in saying that the world is experiencing “terrible suffering on an unprecedented scale.”
“This book bears witness to the Queen’s faith and the centrality of her Christian faith on her life and her reign,” said Paul Woolley, interim chief executive of the Bible Society. “It goes into detail about her speeches and it often is drawing on her own words to give an account of how significant the Christian faith is to all that she represents.”
The charities hope that Christians and churches will buy copies of the book to give away as an evangelistic tract. They have teamed with Christian Publicity and Outreach to make copies available alongside other promotional items related to the Queen’s birthday.
