Christ Jesus had confidence in his ability to heal others and in his command over the environment. The Gospel of Mark records that he commanded, “Peace, be still,” in the face of a storm on the Sea of Galilee, and “a great calm” followed (4:39).

But of the many healings that he did, and the requests for healing that he received, in only one instance does the Bible record that he “marvelled” at the faith of a petitioner (see Matthew 8:5–13). A Roman officer, a centurion, requested that Jesus heal his ill servant.

The account notes that the centurion did not feel worthy enough for Jesus to travel to or enter his house. But as a Roman officer who gave orders to those he commanded and expected the orders to be followed, the centurion was confident that Jesus had only to say the word and his servant would be healed. And that is what happened.

Jesus marveled that this Roman would have such faith, and at a level he had not seen even among his own people, the Jews. I have often wondered why this centurion had such conviction and confidence, and if I could have the same conviction when appealing to the Christ in my own healing work.

Coming from a military background, I was inspired to do a little digging into the qualifications of a centurion, and found that a centurion needed to be able to read and write orders—to take and give commands—and to be a proven warrior in battle.

There would be no doubt in the mind of an officer that his orders would be followed to the letter—even though this leader might be miles away from the execution of that order (action at a distance).

My own experience as an officer in the Navy revealed that those officers who excel in command are very good at identifying people who don’t just look the part, but can get the job done. So perhaps this centurion was quick to identify Jesus as “the real deal,” in the sense that when Jesus spoke, results followed.

Perhaps the confidence of the centurion was also based on divine Principle—not person—in the sense that he respected the authority and power of the Christ, which Jesus represented. 

Could I have the centurion’s conviction when appealing to the Christ in my own healing work?

Why is confidence important in healing? Because confidence in God is an indication of our trust in God’s authority. Mary Baker Eddy writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “Fear, which is an element of all disease, must be cast out to readjust the balance for God. Casting out evil and fear enables truth to outweigh error” (p. 392). Mrs. Eddy emphasizes in Science and Health and her other writings that the person or the human mind is not a factor in healing, and that it is the operation of God, divine Principle, that heals.

I found this to be the case early on in my Navy career. After graduating from flight school, I was assigned to a fleet carrier squadron. This meant I had to qualify in both day and night carrier landings. This would be my first series of night carrier landings, and it was commonly accepted that only a small percentage of one’s first attempts would succeed.

After four attempts to land on the ship my first night—each time either landing too far down the deck or being waved off for not having the plane in the right position—I reached the point where I had enough fuel for just one more try. If I missed, I would have to fly back to land, undergo more training, and wait another month to try again. On the downwind leg of the flight, I decided to pray. 

In my prayer, I thanked God. I realized that divine Love was expressing itself in my instructors, and acknowledged that this Love had been present in my training. Principle was expressed in the design of the aircraft and the responsiveness of the controls. Soul was expressed in the harmonious synergy of the air controllers, the landing signal officer, and the deck and ship navigation team. I could only be grateful for how God’s authority was being expressed in all of this. 

The confidence I found through my prayer was grounded in divine Principle and in gratitude, not in my personal ability.

With that I looked down at my right hand, which had been clutching the control stick, and relaxed my grip as I turned onto my final approach to the ship. This time the plane touched down at the right point on the deck, and its arresting hook caught the cross-deck wire and brought me to a stop. After refueling, I was catapulted back into the air and completed five more landings and takeoffs in short order, then was ordered to fly back to home base, qualifications complete.

After landing ashore and reviewing what had happened, I realized the confidence I found through my prayer was grounded in divine Principle and in gratitude, not in my personal ability. My fear was displaced by confidence. This was a turning point, not only in my work as a pilot but also in my Christian Science healing practice.

Here’s the thing: I can’t say that since that time I have never lacked confidence when confronted with a problem, such as sickness or distress of some kind. Fear and doubt still show up. But by turning in prayer to the Father and realizing that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26), I can, like the centurion, know that the Christ has the final say and that God’s harmony will be manifested.