Amidst all the patriotic fervour (note the ‘u’) in the USA this weekend I starting thinking of some of the verses of the British national anthem, God Save the Queen. Most know the first verse only,
God save our gracious Queen
Long live our noble Queen
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious
Happy and glorious
Long to reign over us
God save the Queen!
But there are a number of other notable verses which very few know about.
One of my favourites (again note the ‘u’) is this one,
One realm of races four
Blest more and ever more
God save our land!
Home of the brave and free
Set in the silver sea
True nurse of chivalry
God save our land!.
Some of the fun ones would be these,
O Lord our God arise,
Scatter her enemies,
And make them fall:
Confound their politics;
Frustrate their knavish tricks;
ON thee our hopes we fix;
God save us all.
From France and Pretender
Great Britain defend her,
Foes let them fall;
From foreign slavery,
Priests and their knavery,
And Popish Reverie,
God save us all.
While I smile at the reference to France in that last verse, I can certainly agree with the prayer that God deliver us from slavery to man and man-made religion. These last verses show a great desire for right behaviour toward God as well as man. The words in all these verses should be a great challenge and blessing to the citizens of the United Kingdom today. They reflect a Godly purpose and foundation, one which we must regain if we are to see God’s blessings on us as a nation once again.
God bless our native land!
May heaven’s protecting hand
Still guard our shore:
May peace her power extend,
Foe be transformed to friend,
And Britain’s rights depend
On war no more.
2 Lord, our monarch bless
With strength and righteousness:
Long may she reign:Her heart inspire and move
With wisdom from above;
And in a nation’s love
Her throne maintain
3. May just and righteous laws
Uphold the public cause,
And bless our isle:
Home of the brave and free,
Thou land of liberty,
We pray that still on thee
Kind heaven may smile.
And this final verse definitely has overtones of evangelism for me as a Christian:
4. Nor on this land alone,
But be God’s mercies known
From shore to shore:
Lord make the nations see
That men should brothers be,
And form one family
The wide world o’er
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