Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. — 1 Samuel 17:45
There were many moments in my career as a paramedic when I pulled up on a scene that was nothing but chaos. Car accidents that had left people scattered and shaken. House fires that had turned an ordinary evening into something no one would ever forget. Medical emergencies that had rocked the world of everyone present in a single moment. Chaos, fear, and disorientation on full display.
And in many of those moments I remember watching others run the other direction. Not out of cowardice, it was simply not their place to be there. They were uneasy in the chaos and they moved away from it. But my job required the opposite. My job was to move toward it. To walk into the scene everyone else was leaving and bring some measure of composure into a moment that had none.
And in those moments, before I ever reached the patient, I would often reflect in prayer. Asking God to help me face what was in front of me. Asking for clarity, for steadiness, for the ability to do what the moment required. I ran toward the chaos carrying a name I did not always speak out loud but always carried with me.
David spoke his out loud. Standing in the valley of Elah, face to face with a nine-foot warrior armed with a sword, a spear, and a shield, David opened his mouth. Not to negotiate. Not to ask for terms. Not to explain why he thought he had a chance against someone so obviously more powerful. He declared exactly what he was bringing into the fight.
Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield. But I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts.
And then he ran. Not walked carefully. Not approached cautiously with his sling at the ready. He ran toward Goliath. The boy with five stones and a shepherd’s sling ran at full speed toward the giant that had paralyzed an entire army for forty days.
The running is the declaration made physical. It is faith in motion. It is the visible proof that David believed every word he had just spoken. The name he was carrying into the fight was not a desperate hope. It was a settled certainty. And the running proved it.
Most of us face our giants the way Israel faced Goliath, standing at a distance, hoping the situation resolves itself, waiting for conditions to improve before we move. We approach cautiously. We advance reluctantly. We take careful, measured steps toward the thing we are afraid of while secretly hoping we never actually reach it.
David ran. And the difference between his response and the army’s was not physical courage. It was the name he was carrying. When you know who is running with you, the speed changes. When the name of the LORD of hosts is on your lips and settled in your heart, the giant in front of you looks different than it did from a distance.
The chaos of the scene does not disappear when you run toward it. The giant does not get smaller when you advance. But the God whose name you carry is larger than anything standing in the valley. And the moment you start running in that name, the outcome is already decided.
What giant have you been approaching cautiously when God is calling you to run. Speak the name. Then run toward it.
Sometimes the most meaningful encouragement comes from hearing how God is meeting people in ordinary moments.
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About Another Well Ministries
Another Well Ministries exists to help people slow down, listen deeply, and encounter God in the ordinary places of life. Through devotionals, reflections, and spiritual resources, we seek to create space for faith to be formed with honesty, grace, and hope.
To learn more about the heart of the ministry or explore additional resources, visit anotherwell.org.
