Faith is a wonderful thing. It is the opposite of self-reliance. We flatter ourselves in our own eyes and we are ready to overlook our own failings and inadequacies, but then the Spirit of God plants faith within us. Self-reliance crumbles and we say, ‘I need the Lord Jesus Christ; I depend only on him.’ It is the opposite of proud independence, of being taken up with human teaching. So when this formally haughty Roman officer understands who Christ is, he is humbled in his need. We have to feel unworthy and then realise that he is God.
From the centurion we learn these lessons about prayer:
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1. You must come to God through a mediator, for we are not worthy to approach God ourselves. The centurion did not come himself. He selected others whom he thought would be acceptable to Christ (actually they too were sinners). Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. We come through another, lest we are destroyed. That is why we address the Father in the name of Jesus Christ. When in private devotions I may pray to Christ directly; publicly we always address the Father in the name of Jesus Christ – that is the New Testament pattern.
2. We must confess our sin. He appealed to the Lord but his sin was remembered. We always do this, unless it is an emergency. Always acknowledge our sin. Sometimes confess sin by nature by name.
3. Own Christ; call him Lord; recognise that he is divine; reverence him; honour him. Some come in such a jaunty manner that there is no reverence. You are a tiny speck in his sight. He is not your mate down the road! ‘If you will save me, I will no longer follow my own way.’
4. We must put first things first. We come to Christ first of all as Saviour, and not just as a healer of bodily sickness. Yes, God sometimes encourages even unbelievers by answering prayers entirely for temporal things, but we cannot know him except as Saviour.
5. If you are a believer, don’t pray selfish prayers. The burden of his heart was the problem of another. Some say, if I am a Christian I can pray for myself, yes, but chiefly for others.
6. The centurion pleaded via the elders. He was not ashamed to ask them to plead for him. To get across I depend on him, beseeching him, plead for him. When you pray don’t be too cool calm collected.
7. Tell them what you need. Why? Because the Lord is like a human and doesn’t know? No, he knows before you ask. But prayer must be for real things. You must spell out the details. You must come with genuine needs, and it brings glory to God when he answers you.
8. He advanced arguments in prayer in his favour, based on the attributes of God. He said, ‘Heal him because you can do it.’ If you come to Christ for salvation, use arguments. Do you say ‘Save me because I am good, or because I will be more useful to you’? No, you say, ‘You have invited me to come.’ Take some measures to build up your faith. The centurion may have said, ‘He did it for my friend, the Jewish ruler,; he can do it for me also.’ How do I know Christ will bless me? He has blessed people known to me. Without belief he will not answer.
9. Be comforted – God will answer your prayer. That does not mean we must believe God will always answer it in exactly the way we ask, but he will hear us and answer according to his perfect wisdom. If I ask for a trial to be removed, then I must leave him to decide how.
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