I sit in the dentist’s chair; she is about to perform a rootcanal
treatment. I am anesthetized, and the dentist begins.
I affirm her as a trained professional who knows how to
perform the procedure, but suddenly panic hits. What if the
anesthesia doesn’t work? What if the dentist hits a nerve and sends
me through the roof? That’s when I realize how hard it is to let
go of control.
The serious illness of a beloved servant has taken a
Roman centurion to the place where control ends and
faith begins. The centurion knew how to use the power of
authority, the power of fear, the power of violence, and the
power of death. He knew his soldiers would obey his every
command. But when it comes to the illness of his trusted
servant, his power is powerless. That’s when he turns to
Jesus. The centurion decides to humble himself and submit
to a greater authority, acknowledging his unworthiness to
ask Jesus for anything.
Jesus surprisingly lifts up the humble submissive faith
of the centurion. And he names it: the strongest faith he has
seen so far.
In these beginning days of General Conference, this
passage serves as a wonderful reminder to let go of every
desire for power and control and instead receive another
kind of authority from Christ based on prayer, humility, and
forgiveness. If we desire to follow Christ and to walk under
his authority, we let go of control and submit ourselves to
him, trusting that he knows what he is doing.
By Christian Alsted from The Upper Room: 60 Days of Prayer for General Conference 2016