Psalms 78:65
“Then the Lord awakened as one out of sleep, like a mighty man who shouts by reason of wine.”
What does Psalms 78:65 mean?
This vivid image captures something profound about God's timing and power. The psalmist is describing how, after what felt like a long silence or absence, God suddenly stirred and acted with overwhelming force to rescue his people. It's written from the perspective of those who felt abandoned and were crying out for help. The comparison to someone waking from sleep and shouting powerfully isn't about God literally sleeping or being drunk. Rather, it's poetry expressing the dramatic shift from seeming inaction to unstoppable, passionate intervention. When you've been waiting in darkness for what feels like forever, God's decisive action can feel exactly like this kind of sudden awakening. If you're in a season where God feels distant, this psalm acknowledges that feeling while pointing toward the confidence that his silence is never final.