My father-in-law has worked with lasers for most of his adult life. He received his PhD in Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1960. After graduation, he started at Space Technology Labs (later TRW) in the research and development of lasers and other electro-optic devices. He then joined Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1972.
Building the World’s Largest Laser
As the project engineer in their new Laser Program, he managed the two-beam Argus laser (completed in 1977) and the 10-beam Nova (operational in 1985). These projects led to the completion of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in 2009, the largest and most energetic laser facility ever built. The size of a sports stadium, NIF is the most precise laser built and the world’s largest optical instrument.
In NIF, as in most large lasers, intense flashes of white light from giant flash lamps “pump” electrons in large slabs of laser glass to a higher-energy state that lasts only about one-millionth of a second. A small pulse of laser light “tuned” to the excited electrons’ energy is directed through the glass slabs. An optical switch traps the low-energy laser pulse in the main amplifier for four passes through the laser glass slabs.
Mirrors at both ends of the glass amplifier cause the photons (particles representing a quantum of light or other electromagnetic radiation) to travel back and forth through the glass, stimulating more electrons to drop to their lower energy states and emit photons.
This process produces huge numbers of photons of the same wavelength and direction—an extremely bright and straight beam of light, which is amplified by more than a quadrillion (that’s a million billion!) times to form 192 highly energetic, tightly focused laser beams that converge in the center of the target chamber.
The “bottom line” on such laser projects is that a target chamber is flooded with light! God invented light and life, and He energizes His power in us as we freely go to His Word and believe it. We can have our eyes enlightened spiritually, which is a lot more than even a million billion times something in the physical realm! We do this by having the humility to look to God’s light, and then to keep His light before our eyes.
Eyes Flooded with Light
Ephesians 1:18:
The eyes of your understanding [most Greek texts have “heart” and Aramaic has “hearts”] being enlightened [flooded with light]; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.
A New Testament Translation by James Moffatt reads: “illuminating the eyes of your heart so that you can understand.” As born-again believers, we can have the “eyes” of our “heart” enlightened. This is not talking about physical light entering our eyes. Jesus Christ understood the figurative language from Eastern culture used here. He spoke of this in his “sermon on the mount.”
Matthew 6:21,22:
For where your treasure [thoughts] is, there will your heart be also.
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single [haplous, simple, focused], thy whole body shall be full of light.
Even in the physical realm, having your eye focused to take in natural light has a very positive effect on the “whole body.” Normal doses of sunlight that go into the human eye help brain function, which can improve the nervous system, hormonal regulation, muscle function, immune health, and provide many other benefits. It gives needed vitamin D to make your skin healthy.
This light positively stimulates the pituitary gland, the brain’s hypothalamus region (which controls our biological clock), the pineal gland (which produces an antioxidant important for proper sleep and intestinal function), and the adrenal glands (which help us get out of bed each morning).
But here, Jesus is talking about our thoughts. Where you set your thoughts is where your heart will be. If you keep your thoughts focused on the light of God’s Word, your heart will rejoice! Your eyes will be enlightened!
Psalms 19:7-9:
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple [“open-minded” in Moffatt’s translation].
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear [reverence, respect] of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether [as a unit].
Look at the benefits of getting God’s Word in the heart. His perfect law converts our souls for the better; His sure testimony makes us wise where we are simple. The Lord’s right statutes rejoice our heart; His pure commandment enlightens our eyes. A clean, healthy respect for the Lord will endure forever; His judgments form a righteous unit of truth.
The final verse of this psalm is my prayer each morning when I get up, and it is my test before I go to sleep each night on how I did that day.
Psalms 19:14:
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
To me, it doesn’t really matter what people think about me. My first priority is always to please my heavenly Father in word and deed. I’ve learned that if I do what is acceptable to Him—beginning in my heart and coming out of my mouth—then I will also be pleasing to those who want to love and serve God.
Humility Opens the Eyes
At times while driving, I’ve seen some beautiful scenery or an unusual event that grabs my attention. If I don’t stop myself from staring off to the side of the road, the car starts moving in the direction that I’m looking. What we are looking at is where we tend to go. If my eyes are prideful, then my heart can get that way.
Psalms 131:1:
Lord, my heart is not haughty [prideful], nor mine eyes lofty [haughty, proud]: neither do I exercise myself in great matters [things beyond my years or ability], or in things too high [great, difficult] for me.
This is a big key to having the eyes of the heart flooded with light. Humility in our thinking keeps our hearts open and ready to receive good things from our heavenly Father. The psalmist learned how important it is in life to trust in God and not himself. There will be things that are beyond our ability and too difficult for us. Some say that “discretion is the better part of valor.” Sometimes learning to say “no” is more valuable than jumping into a task beyond our scope.
Ecclesiastes 4:6:
Better is an handful with quietness [restfulness and peace], than both the hands [fists] full with travail [worry] and vexation of spirit [grasping after the wind].
How true! I am much happier (and more successful) when I take on what I can handle. That’s where walking by the spirit and thinking God’s Word comes in. I’ve learned that limiting what I do to what God works in me to do, is a much more restful way of living than filling both fists and spending my days in worry and “grasping after the wind.”
I Thessalonians 4:11,12:
And that ye study to be quiet [having restfulness and peace], and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
That ye may walk honestly [with a good form] toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
When I keep my thoughts focused on my own business, those things that the Father wants me to do, then I’m able to walk with a good form. Keeping the light of God’s Word before the eyes causes the heart to rejoice.
Proverbs 15:30:
The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat.
The context of this verse shows that humility is required to see what we need to see. It takes an effort to know how to be a good husband, wife, father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, student, worker, citizen, or friend. That’s why our heart “studies” to answer life’s challenging questions.
Proverbs 15:28-33:
The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.
The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat.
The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise.
He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.
The fear [reverence, respect] of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.
We need to stay humble and learn. When we accept reproof and instruction, we will abide among the wise; we will get understanding. Respecting God with humility brings honor and reward. We can be “followers of God, as dear children” (Ephesians 5:1) and imitate His ways. We give our heavenly Father our heart as we keep our eyes on Him.
Proverbs 23:26:
My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
Keeping the Light in Our Hearts
By keeping our eyes on God and His Word, we can learn to keep truth in the midst of our hearts.
Proverbs 4:21:
Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
Look at the context of this verse.
Proverbs 4:18-27:
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect [the Hebrew word means, upright, standing perpendicular] day.
The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
What great truths on how to let the light into our eyes and hearts!
Verse 18 says that the path of the just is like a sunrise that shines “more and more unto the perfect day.” Moffatt translates this verse: “the course of good men, like a ray of dawn, shines on and on to the full light of day.”
I love watching the soft rays of sunlight that peep over the horizon at dawn. I’ve spent a few mornings just watching the sky gradually brighten as the earth turns toward the sun. Finally at noon, the sun is perpendicular to the horizon and has reached its zenith so that the sky is ablaze with the full light of day! As we turn to God and His Word, our hearts can be ablaze with light.
Verse 25 says to keep the eyes looking “right on” forward and our eyelids straight before us. Then we will know where to walk. These are spiritual truths on how important it is to keep God’s Word in our hearts. That is where the “issues of life” come from.
We’ve seen from the Bible that our eyes are enlightened spiritually by having the humility to look to God’s light, and then to keep His light before our eyes.
In Part 2, we will see that with an understanding heart, we can believe our heavenly Father’s promises to overcome the challenges that face us, and to enjoy His rich blessings.
