Veteran hard rock group Thousand Foot Krutch recently released the single "Running with Giants." Their new album EXHALE is their third independent release, following up The End Is Where We Begin (featuring "Light Up the Sky," "Fly on the Wall" and "Be Somebody") and OXYGEN:INHALE, which includes "Born this Way." 

The themes of OXYGEN: INHALE and EXHALE have some strong theological and spiritual connections that the band has covered on these past two releases. I had the opportunity to speak with TFK frontman Trevor McNevan about "Running with Giants."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

This song was for me the best introduction to this album, and that's why it is the first track. With this album being the more aggressive side of INHALE, this song was a great way to get that started for this group of songs. 

On the spiritual side, this song is all about the steps of faith you need to take in those moments when you know you can't accomplish something on your own, when you need to put all of your faith in trust in God. This season has been one of those seasons for us, and God has been so faithful to us. This realism of this song is how we are running with giants, as our God is so big and awesome. That's the heart of this song as a whole.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV): "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of faith."

Psalm 150:6 (NKJV): "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!" 

Psalm 51:11 (NKJV): "Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me."

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV): "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."

Acts 20:24 (NKJV): "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."

1 Timothy 6:12 (NKJV): "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

2 Timothy 4:7 (NKJV): "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

What is the takeaway message?

It's a vulnerable thing to admit that we need God's help and that we have a desire to not be alone. What God does through each of us is so much bigger than us individually. In my case, God has shown Himself in so many big ways. There is a raw honesty to this album, and in the lyrics of this song, I talk about how "I can be empty, but I'm not nameless." The song gives both sides of how we feel about ourselves sometimes, but then acknowledge how God sees us and who I am in Him. I'm not helpless, and I'm not hopeless and I'm not defeated with God on my side. 

The song ties into a lot of the songs on this record as I prayed for God to reveal to me how He wanted me to share the things I've been going through. The main theme is how big our God is and how thankful I am for His grace. Some of the most important moments of our lives are when we take the time to stop and listen to God. Mostly we do all of the talking when we are praying, but we also need to take the time to stop and listen to Him speak to us. Lay your stuff on the table and include God in each moment of your day. Be intentional about hearing from God.

Lyrics:
I can be stupid
But not outrageous 
I can be sickness
But not contagious
I can be empty
But I'm not nameless
It's the way that You love me
The way that You love me
I can be patient
But I'm not waiting
I can be shook up
But I'm not shaken
I can be angry
But I'm not jaded
It's the way that You love me
The way that You love me 

I am not alone here
I'm not on my own here
I am not alone here
I'm not on my own (cause I am)

Running with giants
Everywhere I go
It's an unspoken alliance 
So I can just let go
I've been running with giants
Everywhere I go
It's an unspoken alliance
So I can just let go

I can be outraged
But not a traitor
I can be distant
But I'm no stranger
I am a target but without danger
It's the way that You love me
The way that You love me
I can be strong
But not without weakness
I can be helpless
But not defeated
I can be cut deep
But I'm not bleeding
It's the way that You love me
The way that You love me

I am not alone here
I'm not on my own here
I am not alone
I'm not on my own (cause I am)

Running with giants
Everywhere I go
It's an unspoken alliance
So I can just let go
I've been running with giants
Everywhere I go
It's an unspoken alliance
So I can just let go

And I feel the pressure of ten men
When the floor cracks and the walls start moving in
I feel the strength that's from within
Kickin' down the doors and walls
We're coming in

And I feel the pressure of ten men
When the floor cracks and the walls start moving in
I feel the strength that's from within
Kickin' down the doors and walls
We're coming in

Running with giants
Everywhere I go
It's an unspoken alliance 
So I can just let go
I've been running with giants
Everywhere I go
It's an unspoken alliance 
So I can just let go

These recent TFK albums address the universal human need to have God breathe through us and to inhale His love so that we can exhale it in turn. Christians do not exist for themselves, but rather to breathe in God's grace, hope and truth so that they can then go out and exhale into their surrounding community. This song has a catchy and engaging melody, and the theme is a great reminder and challenge to be showing love in our worldly culture and society, knowing that we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, running with giants.

God wants us to know that He's faithful to complete what's He's started in all of us who have put our hope and trust in Jesus. I find myself thinking more and more about how well I'm living for Christ and showing and knowing His love. We all have a universal desire to not feel alone in this world and there is power in proclaiming it and knowing our Savior, Jesus personally. As the song declares, God's faithfulness is "an unspoken alliance." We need to walk by faith, not by sight. What's awesome about this upbeat song is that it provides encouragement and personal motivation to fight the good fight of faith and finish running the race of life strong.

This song expresses the biblical truth that what we can't find in ourselves alone, we can only find in the community of believers and in our relationship with God. God's community with us is that He sent Jesus to die for us and gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit within each one of us. With everything going on in our world, we need the encouragement that God is with us and we're not alone. There is no day, no hour of the day, in which our Lord Jesus is not present. The song is a powerful expression of what it means to accept that God never leaves or forsakes us as His followers. He is all we need. Once we know the never-ending love of God, we can sing out with passion: "It's the way that You love me, the way that You love me! I am not alone here, I'm not on my own here, I am not alone." Amen to that!

Watch the music video below.