“Sometimes You’ll Appear Crazy”
Sometimes you’ll appear crazy to avoid destruction—and actually be delivered from the hand of the enemy. Sometimes you’ll appear crazy because you’re willing to take risks that others won’t. We all get ourselves into situations that just don’t make sense. We sit there afterward and ask, “Why did I do that? Why did I go there? Why did I risk that?”
In 1 Samuel 21, David had just parted ways with Jonathan. On the run from King Saul, he found himself at Nob, standing before Ahimelech the priest. The priest was startled to see David alone and questioned his motives. David’s response was strategic, even deceptive—he told Ahimelech he was on a secret mission for the king and asked for bread. David was hungry, desperate, and in survival mode. He was doing what he had to do.
Sometimes obedience will make you look irrational. David risked his life to get food for his men. He walked into enemy territory to secure what was needed. That’s what bold obedience looks like—it doesn’t always make sense to human reasoning. Are you willing to look crazy to obey God and take a risk others won’t?
But let’s flip the script for a moment. What David did could also be viewed as an act of self-sabotage. He placed himself in a compromising position because of his appetite. Hunger made him vulnerable. Sometimes our greatest mistakes don’t come from rebellion but from need. When we’re in survival mode, we’ll do things that make sense to desperation but not to destiny.
I’ve been there. I’ve gone back to the very places that broke me—relationships, situations, environments that once violated or abandoned me—thinking maybe it would be different this time. I’ve called it love, loyalty, faith, or ministry, but deep down, it was self-sabotage. Two words that I had to confront in my own life.
As Pastor Dharius Daniels said, “When you increase self-awareness, you decrease self-sabotage.” The moment David realized he had been recognized in the enemy’s camp, panic took over. He feared for his life, and so he pretended to be insane—foaming at the mouth, drooling on his beard, and pounding on the city gate (1 Samuel 21:12–15). It looked humiliating, but it saved his life.
That’s the tension: sometimes panic makes us act out of character, but sometimes that moment of appearing “crazy” becomes the vehicle for our deliverance. David’s act looked foolish, but it kept him from destruction. It wasn’t his strength that saved him—it was God’s mercy in his vulnerability.
In today’s culture, “appearing crazy” might not look like foaming at the mouth. It might look like walking away from a relationship everyone expected you to stay in. It might look like leaving a job that’s killing your peace or turning down an opportunity because God said no. It might look like saying “I need help” when you’ve always been the strong one. To the world, it looks foolish—but to Heaven, it looks like faith.
God is still delivering people who appear crazy. He’s protecting those who step out, risk obedience, and choose healing over performance. And if you’ve ever acted out of fear or found yourself in a compromising situation—know this: God is merciful. Just like He delivered David, He’s delivering you too.