The Power of Refraction

The Power of Refraction
REFOCUS, RENEWAL, AND CELEBRATION
Terry R. Baughman

“He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, ‘I see men like trees, walking.’ Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly” (Mark 8:23–25).

A double convex lens can be used to magnify our vision or sharpen the focus of what we see through the physics of refraction. In this process of bending light with shaped glass we are able to adjust our focus. This technique is commonly applied through eyeglasses. Bifocals even allow two areas of focus to refine the sharpening of our vision. 

Long before the first spectacles were created to enhance vision there was a blind man in Bethsaida that was brought to Jesus with the hope of having his vision restored. In this unusual event Jesus took him out of town, spit in his eyes, touched him and asked him what he could see. Though his vision was improved to the point where he could see light, shapes and images, it appears that his healing was incomplete. He said, “I see people walking around like trees.” Then Jesus touched his eyes once again. Instantly the man was completely healed. His vision was restored and he saw everything clearly. 

While this was a remarkable miracle in the ministry of Jesus, it is no less of a miracle when Jesus gives us spiritual insight and focus to our blurred vision. Sometimes we just need a second touch!

With age it is common for our eyesight to change. Where we were once able to focus easily there comes a time when we are no longer able to adjust our eyes to refine our vision clearly. We may find ourselves stretching our arms further in an attempt to bring clarity to the printed page or some fine detail of a task we are attempting to perform. Sometimes in frustration we reach for reading glasses or a magnifying glass to bring focus and clarity in a moment of need. 

Refraction can also enable us to see images of the invisible, from the tiniest molecule to stars and galaxies far away. From microscopes, to rifle scopes, to binoculars, to powerful telescopes, we may choose a variety of instruments to bring focus on things we have never seen. 

Perhaps we can ask God to give us spiritual refraction, bending His perfect light and vast insight to a plane where we can visualize it. With His help we may refocus our sight and refine our vision. Things previously unseen become clear and the invisible becomes defined.

Moses opposed Egyptian tyranny and fled from the palace of privilege. He identified with the faith of His heritage. He rejected Egyptian religious teachings and pagan training. He sought the true God and observed His instructions. The writer of Hebrews recorded, “He endured as seeing Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27). That glimpse of the invisible was never satisfied and he continually sought to know more of Him. 

The Psalmist David wrote that God’s Word, “Is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). May the light of His Word provide direction for our journey and illuminate our vision. View all of life through the refraction of His Word and Spirit and receive clarity, refocus, and renewal for every future step. 

Let us refocus our vision and renew our commitment to walk in His Will.
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Scripture:
“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

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