Passage
They shall runne to and from in the citie: they shall runne vpon the wall: they shall clime vp vpon the houses, and enter in at ye windowes like ye thiefe.
Joel 2:9 (GNV)
Nearby Context
Joel 2:7 They shall runne like strong men, and goe vp to the wall like men of warre, and euery man shall goe forward in his wayes, and they shall not stay in their paths.
Joel 2:8 Neither shall one thrust another, but euery one shall walke in his path: and when they fall vpon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
Joel 2:9 They shall runne to and from in the citie: they shall runne vpon the wall: they shall clime vp vpon the houses, and enter in at ye windowes like ye thiefe.
Joel 2:10 The earth shall tremble before him, ye heauens shall shake, the sunne and the moone shalbe darke, and the starres shall withdraw their shining,
Joel 2:11 And the Lord shall vtter his voyce before his hoste: for his hoste is very great: for he is strog that doeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible, and who can abide it?
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "shall", "runne", "citie", "vpon", and "wall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "runne", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Neither shall one thrust another but euery..." into verse 10's "The earth shall tremble before him ye...", so "shall" and "runne" belong inside that flow. In Joel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "shall" and "runne" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.