Pillow Talk - Emily Elliott

1836–97

You might say she was born to be a writer. Her father, a minister, had written a highly respected study of the end times. (C. S. Spurgeon called it “the standard work on the subject.”) Her aunt, Charlotte Elliott, had written a number of hymns, most notably “Just As I Am.” With such a pedigree, it’s no surprise that Emily went into hymn writing herself and also edited Christian education materials for children.

Though she published several collections of hymns, her best-known work is clearly “Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne.”

Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,

When Thou camest to earth for me;

But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room

For Thy holy nativity.

The song is widely used as a Christmas carol, but the lyrics go on to describe various parts of Jesus’ ministry and his ultimate exaltation. The theme is humility—and of course our humble response to the Incarnation.

“Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne” appeared in several of Emily Elliott’s hymn collections, including Under the Pillow, a large-print hymnal designed especially for invalids. She might have gotten the idea for such a hymnal from her aunt Charlotte, who had published a similar collection (the Invalid’s Hymn Book), and was herself bedridden for much of her life. Whatever inspired the publication, it was a very appropriate place for this hymn. When people are suffering, they often feel far from the Lord, as if he doesn’t know or care how they feel. But as this song strongly says, Jesus left heaven’s glory to join in the suffering of humanity. He knows what we’re going through.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,

There is room in my heart for Thee.

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.

Philippians 2:5-7