Throughout our lives, Janet and I have been on many cruises. It is just our preferred way to see the world. We have been a variety of places, with the exception of the Orient, and have come to love our travels. We have been on a number of the cruise lines and have come to the conclusion that we enjoy American Cruise Lines more than any other ships. We think that it is because the service is so personal and we have met such great people.
In fact, there are usually only 100 passengers on the cruises that we have taken with them and the service is outstanding. It’s not for folks who want pools, slides, day spas, or want to hang with thousands of people. I should also say that I haven’t seen anybody under the age of 50 on any of our cruises, either. If there had been, I’m sure they would have jumped overboard on day one.
We just returned from our third cruise with this outstanding company. We have been blessed to have travelled on what are called coastal cats – specially built ships that have been constructed in Connecticut and are a part of this family owned business. Our first two cruises had the same captain both times and he actually remembered us from our previous travels on his ship. We were also blessed to have met Wyatt, our friendly cruise director who was in charge of the entertainment, shore excursions, making arrangements for future trips and virtually all other chores that had to do with passenger engagement. To be sure, he was fabulous. We immediately felt a part of the ACL family and anything we needed magically appeared almost immediately.
There is entertainment nightly in the Chesapeake Lounge and there are only four decks. It’s easy to go deck to deck and if walking isn’t your thing, there is an elevator as well.
Wyatt was the star of the show. Each morning, he would come on the ship’s intercom and announce, “Good morning, this is Wyatt, your voice from above…” He would then proceed to tell us about the shore excursions, onboard ship entertainment and how the day was planned. We heard all this through the overhead speakers throughout the ship! Our first cruise was virtually flawless.
We were disappointed when our second trip had a different cruise director, but that is to be expected. And in checking out the crew for our last vacation, which we just returned from this evening, most of the crew was unfamiliar to us. But imagine our surprise when leaving our hotel to board the ship, there was WYATT! I guess there had been a last minute change. He actually remembered us and we knew that it was going to be a great trip.
We caught up with him and started our latest trip down the coast of Maine from Bangor to Portland. And yes, sure enough, the first morning we awoke to that familiar voice, announcing that greeting, “Good morning, this is Wyatt, your voice from above…” Janet and I actually laughed when we heard it.
Now I understand that this may not be a big deal in the cruising world, but there was something familiar, and I daresay, trusting, whenever Wyatt’s voice came “from above.” I’m sure that you can see the comparison coming. That’s exactly how we should approach our relationship with God. When His voice from above speaks to us, or leads us through the agency of the Holy Spirit, we should trust Him and have such a deep relationship with our Father that we have an intimate familiarity with Him.
Throughout the Scripture, there are many references to the presence of God, His voice and even His leading us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus affirms all this through various references as well. Tonight’s verse comes from the apostle John in his Gospel. John gives us the words of Jesus in relation to His people. He recounts to us, in John 10:27-30, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
This verse reminds us that those of us who believe in Jesus will recognize His voice. Also, it affirms that everlasting life is ours as well. Furthermore, it is abundantly clear that we will never be lost or abandoned by Jesus. His Father is greater than all and that should give each of us peace that we are safe with Jesus. Now some of us may need to become more familiar with the voice of God, and we should all expect to hear from Him. We should live our lives believing in miracles and be on the lookout for them at every turn.
It is comforting to hear from Jesus and His Father, even when we don’t expect it. My encouragement this evening is that Jesus is anxious to “speak” to us; and to give us comfort whenever we are attentive to His presence. My prayer is that we will all become more attuned to the voice of God – the true “Voice from above.” And while it may not be as loud or booming as Wyatt each morning on our cruise, I pray that we will come to expect it with the same regularity and reliability. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…