1 Corinthians 2:9, Ephesians 3:20

Matt Summerfield

Do you ever get tired of the spirit of cynicism that is so rife in our nation today?

Our media is famed throughout the world for its cynical take on people, where only 'bad news' seems to be news worthy of reporting. We live in a culture where it is so easy to bring people down and think the worst so it's no wonder that sometimes this descends in to hopelessness.

And yet we sometimes dress up our cynicism by saying that we're being 'realistic', but this is just a rouse!!

Here's a profound truth that I've been struck by recently.

Cynicism dressed up as realism kills hope.

George Bernard Shaw wrote.

"Some men see things as they are and ask why - I dream of things that never were and ask, why not?"

I want to be a 'why not?' person, don't you? There are plenty of people who say "It can't be done", "That will never changed" etc. etc. But that attitude doesn't bring hope to anyone.

And what of our faith, don't we serve a God who is able to do the impossible? The story of scripture shows us time and time again how He works with 'why not' people to do incredible, supernatural, extraordinary things.

What would've happened if the cynics got to:

• Moses and told him that there's no way out for him as he finds himself with a million people stuck between a might of the Egyptian army and the depth of the red sea.


• Joshua and told him that the walls of Jericho are impregnable and walking around the city seven days just makes them look stupid.


• Gideon and told him that it's ridiculous to believe that an army of 300 could take on an army of tens of thousands of Midianites and Amelakites.


• David and told him that he was a skinny runt and there's no way he stood a hope against a 9 foot giant.


• Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and said to them that they were going to burn to death in excrutiating agony in the fiery furness because of the stubbornness for refusing to bow to the idol of Nebuchadnezzar.


• Esther and told her that she was just a woman who would never be able to do anything to save her Jewish people from total annihilation.


• Mary and told her to stop being so ridiculous in believing that it really was an angel and that a teenage unknown virgin could give birth to the Son of God.


• Peter and told him that any attempt at walking on water would immediately result in a baptism by deep water stormy immersion.


• Jesus and told Him that the world didn't deserve that He die for them and that He was better off going back to that nice place called Heaven.

The men and women of the Bible who did great exploits were not cynics. They dared to believe that God could do the impossible - they were fuelled by hope.

It's time for us to dream big dreams - believe big things of God. Not allow cynicism to crush our hopes and dreams, thereby stifling what God can do.

Author Jim Wallis says:

"Hope is believing despite the evidence - and then watching the evidence change"

The Bible says that:

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him" 1 Corinthians 2:9

"...to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" Ephesians 3:20

What are you going to do with a God like that? Dare you believe? Dare you dream? Dare you become a 'why not' person? Dare you take these passages in Corinthians and Ephesians literally?

Could it be possible that a movement of hope-carriers would defeat a culture of cynicism? I think so...and it starts with you and me.