When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, pleading with him, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony." He said to him, "Am I to come and heal him?" "Lord," the centurion replied, "I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this!' and he does it." Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following him, "Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith." (Matthew 8:5-10, CSB)
You know that moment when your kid is struggling with something and you've tried everything in your parenting toolbox? You've had the talks, set the boundaries, prayed the prayers, and implemented all the advice from that parenting book everyone recommended. And still, nothing changes. That's when the panic sets in, because if your best efforts aren't working, what else is there?
This Roman centurion had a crisis on his hands. His servant was paralyzed and suffering terribly. But instead of listing everything he'd already tried or explaining his detailed plan for how Jesus should handle the situation, he said something that stopped Jesus in His tracks. He told Jesus He didn't even need to come to the house. Just say the word, and it would be done.
Think about how wild that is. This wasn't a man of faith by Jewish standards. He was a Roman soldier, an outsider, someone who probably knew next to nothing about scripture or Jewish religious practice. He hadn't grown up in a synagogue or memorized the Torah. Yet somehow he understood something profound about who Jesus was and how God's authority actually works. He recognized that Jesus operated with power that didn't require proximity or perfect conditions or elaborate religious ceremonies. A word from Jesus was enough.
Now contrast that with how we often approach God as parents, or even as people in general. We come with our detailed explanations of the problem, our suggested solutions, our timeline for when we need things fixed, and our anxiety about whether we're doing enough to deserve His help. We treat prayer like a transaction where we have to prove we're worthy or convince God we've exhausted all other options before He'll step in. We act like God's power in our kids' lives is somehow limited by our parenting performance or our spiritual résumé.
The centurion didn't operate that way. He acknowledged he wasn't worthy, but he didn't let that stop him from asking. He recognized that Jesus' authority wasn't dependent on his credentials or his perfect understanding or his flawless execution of some religious protocol. He simply trusted that if Jesus spoke, things would change.
Here's what gets me about this story. Jesus was amazed. The Son of God, who knows everything and has seen it all, was genuinely surprised by this man's faith. Not by his theology or his religious knowledge or his years of faithful service. By his simple trust that Jesus' word carried weight.
We complicate faith so much. We think we need to have all the right answers, implement all the right strategies, and maintain all the right spiritual disciplines before God will really show up. We exhaust ourselves trying to create the perfect conditions for God to work, as if His power is somehow limited by our circumstances or our performance. But this Roman commander understood what we keep forgetting. God's authority doesn't wait for perfect conditions or perfect people. His word is powerful regardless of whether we feel worthy or ready or qualified.
The centurion wasn't suggesting Jesus didn't care or shouldn't be involved. He sought Jesus out. He was specific about the need. He clearly loved his servant and was desperate for help. But he also recognized that Jesus didn't need to be physically present for every detail. A word from Jesus was sufficient because Jesus operated with divine authority that transcended physical limitations.
That's the kind of faith that changes you. Not the faith that tries harder or knows more or implements better systems. The faith that actually believes God's authority extends into every area of your kids' lives, even the parts you can't control or orchestrate or fix yourself. The faith that trusts a word from God carries more power than all your best parenting strategies combined.
Because at the end of the day, God is the most important factor in your kids' lives. Not your perfectly executed bedtime routines. Not your carefully researched educational choices. Not your exhaustive efforts to control every variable. God. And His word over your children is enough.
