Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne
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.
O Come to my heart, Lord Jesus—
There is room in my heart for Thee!
Heaven’s arches rang when the angels sang,
Proclaiming Thy royal decree;
But of lowly birth didst Thou come to earth,
And in great humility.
The foxes found rest, and the birds their nest
In the shade of the forest tree;
But Thy couch was the sod, O Thou Son of God,
In the deserts of Galilee.
Thou camest, O Lord, with the living Word
That should set Thy people free;
But with mocking scorn and with crown of thorn
They bore Thee to Calvary.
When the heav’ns shall ring and the angels sing
At Thy coming to victory,
Let Thy voice call me home, saying, “Yet there is room—
There is room at My side for thee.”
My heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus,
When Thou comest and callest for me!
EMILY ELLIOTT had a special concern for those who were sick. She wrote many poems and hymn texts especially for the infirm, publishing forty-eight of them in a little book called Under the Pillow. She may have been influenced by her aunt, Charlotte Elliott, who wrote “Just As I Am” (June 22). Charlotte was also a prolific poet and was sickly for much of her life.
This particular hymn was written for children, to teach them about Jesus’ birth. It has a simple construction—each of the first four stanzas presents a contrast with the word but. The chorus is a natural response to the predicament, something that even a child could understand.
The last stanza provides a stirring conclusion. The Lord, once rejected and displaced, will soon come in victory—and we should all be waiting.
He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.
John 1:10-11
From the book
