Whenever a younger sister in the family next door had a boy over, the older sister would walk through the room where they were sitting and say, “Leave room for Jesus.” While it sounds like an older sister picking on a younger sister (and she was) and like it was good advice (and it was), it is also good advice for those of us who love and pray for a prodigal, being applicable to so many areas of our lives.

I was thinking about leaving room for Jesus, and I realized I would have to stop striving and be still to leave room for Him to work.

Leave room for Jesus.

Stop striving.

Be still.

Psalm 46:10 tells us what to do when we are finally still: “Be still, and know” (NKJV).  That comma is powerful. “Be still, and know.” Be still. Pause. And know.

Be still. Pause. Know.

But know what?

Other parts of Psalm 46 tell us things we need to know to help us leave room for Jesus and to stop striving:

• He is God (v. 10). Powerful!
• “God is our refuge and strength” (v. 1). What a promise!
• He’s “[a] very present help in trouble” (v. 1). Good to know!
• “The LORD of hosts is with us” (vv. 7, 10). Always!
• “The God of Jacob is our refuge” (v. 7, 10). He protects us, hides us, and comforts us.
• He “will be exalted among the nations” and “in the earth! (v. 10). He will be victorious!

When we know these things, “we will not fear” (v. 2). “Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling,” we will not fear (vv. 2-3).

You may have noticed that there are two phrases in this psalm that are repeated, and when Scripture is repeated, it gives me pause to pay extra attention. Those two phrases we are to know are: “The LORD of hosts is with us,” and “The God of Jacob is our refuge.” Not only is our Lord with us always, but He takes it a step further in being our refuge. He is a much more effective refuge than other things to which we turn for comfort and refuge and things in which we hide. Knowing, really knowing this, helps us truly be still.

When life is difficult; when our prodigals are making even more bad decisions, are in over their heads, and are deeper in sin than before; when it’s looking like there is no way out, and the future seems to hold very hard and worse things, we leave room for Jesus. It’s our best reaction. It’s our best option. 

As our pastor Victor Massey said in a sermon on May 31, 2026, loosely quoting, “Weariness comes from trying to control everything ourselves.” I interpret his statement in this way for us: “Trying to control everything ourselves leaves little room for the Lord to work, and that leads to weariness.” We’ve been there, but instead of filling our lives with worry that pushes out hope, dread that negates faith, anxiety that overwhelms peace, and burying ourselves in hurry in an effort to stop the spiraling thought patterns, we should leave room for Jesus. He alone delivers us from worry, dread, and anxiety. When we truly surrender our prodigals to Jesus, He takes over and does what only He can do. When we push out the negative from our minds and leave room for thoughts of the Lord, He keeps us “in perfect peace, [b]ecause” we trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3).

When we stop striving, are still, and leave room for the Lord, we truly can know He is God, that He “will be exalted among the nations,” and He “will be exalted in the earth” (emphasis added). He will be victorious in ways we can never be!​

Leave room for Jesus to give us peace, joy, rest, comfort, inspiration, anointing, strength.

Leave room for Jesus to work. Leave room for Jesus to answer. Leave room for Jesus to reveal Himself. Leave room for Jesus to deliver. Leave room for Jesus to rescue. Leave room for Jesus’ victory. Leave room for Jesus to save!

Leave room for Jesus. Stop striving. Be still, and know.