Lamentations 1:7,9 NASB95
In the days of her affliction and homelessness Jerusalem remembers all her precious things That were from the days of old, When her people fell into the hand of the adversary And no one helped her. The adversaries saw her, They mocked at her ruin. Her uncleanness was in her skirts; She did not dream of her future. Therefore she has fallen astonishingly; She has no comforter. “See, O LORD, my affliction, For the enemy has magnified himself!”
The book of Lamentations is about the captivity of Israel and Jerusalem in particular. Israel had stopped dreaming about her future possibilities in the Lord, and because of that, she had become captive. All that she had left were her memories of the days of old. When your memories are more powerful than your dreams, you can be certain that you have fallen into the enemy’s captivity. Our dreams for the “more” should always be what captivates us, and the older we get, the more that should be true.
Sadly, I often find that believers, and especially leaders, stop dreaming for the “more” to be experienced in Christ because the adventure has become too risky for them, and they become content with their memories. Paul made it very clear in Philippians 3 that even though his Roman imprisonment restricted him, he was still pressing on towards the upward call of the prize in Christ Jesus. He forgot what was behind him because he was driven to apprehend that for which he was apprehended. He never stopped dreaming of experiencing “more” of the “all” that was his in Christ.
The riches of Jesus are unsearchable, so the adventure never ends. Never let your memories become more powerful than your dreams, no matter how much the dreams might cost you or how daring the adventure might be.