Psalm 139: 9-10 “If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”
This morning, I received this verse from my pastor’s wife, Sandra. It was a special blessing to me because this was the day we boarded the Emerald Princess for our cruise to the Mediterranean. As I reflected on this verse, I was reminded that there is no place we can go that will separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). He is always there to lead us, sustain us, protect us, and commune with us. It is such a comfort to know that as His children, we are held securely in the palm of His hand at all times (John 10:28).
For the first 7 days, we will be crossing the Atlantic, then our first stop should be the Azores, an island group belonging to the country of Portugal (more on that when we get there). For the first three weeks of this trip, we are in a balcony room on the Aloha deck. The balcony rooms on Princess ships have always been very nice, but this one surprised us because its balcony was huge, which thrilled John! He loves to sit out on the balcony and enjoy the voyage! Today as we sat outside, we were excited to see the US Navy Blue Angels practicing their routines in the skies above us! What a treat!
The Emerald Princess has a very elegant persona, with spiral staircases in the atrium, fine dining venues, and various places to sit and listen to pianists, string trios, and other performers. There is a promenade deck that has a wide path on the outer deck where you can completely around the ship. On the top of the ship, there are open decks with multiple pools, and places to eat, including a pizzeria, a hamburger/hotdog grill, and an ice cream/coffee shop. The best part is that it is all included in the booking, so you simply walk up, ask for what you want, and then eat it sitting by the pool or on your own balcony! YUM!
I will try to share more about ship specifics as the trip progresses. Unfortunately, once we head out to sea, the Internet will not be available to me until we get nearer to land, so it may be a few days until my next post. I will be looking forward to sharing my trip with you as soon as I can get online again.
“Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:” – Jeremiah 31:35
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Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea; Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
(from “Holy, Holy, Holy” by J. Dykes and R. Heber)