DAILY DEVOTIONAL ✝️  

Mayday

I’m sure you have read (or seen video) of the tragic air plane crash in Florida this week. A tech entrepreneur and his young family, as well as the 20-year-old copilot, were among those who died on Sunday.  It is now believed that the plane broke up in the air and that was the cause of the tragic accident.  A “mayday” was called out by the pilot,  telling flight control that they were descending at 10,000 feet per minute. 

 

There are many “SOS calls” made every day. SOS doesn’t actually stand for anything.  It’s not an abbreviation for words such as “save our ship” or “save our souls”.  It was chosen largely due to the ease with which it can be transmitted via Morse Code, but the individual letters bore no meaning.  With more modern and almost always verbal communication, a “mayday” is issued.

 

In the early part of the 19th century, it was determined that an internationally understood distress call needed to be developed.  Frederick Stanley Mockford, a senior radio officer in London, was put in charge of finding a good distress signal. He came up with "mayday," which is the English translation of the French word "m'aider" ("help me"). The U.S. formally adopted "mayday" as an official distress signal in 1927.

 

Due to radio interference and loud ambient noise and perhaps panic, pilots are told to repeat the word three times: "Mayday, mayday, mayday." 

 

It’s actually biblical to repeat things.. “Threefold repetition” is a literary and rhetorical device used throughout the Bible to emphasize a particular point, concept, or divine truth. This technique involves repeating a word, phrase, or idea three times to underscore its significance. If you are a parent, you no doubt have issued the “threefold repetition” technique many, many times. (Wives use it on husbands too).

 

One of the most prominent examples of threefold repetition in the Bible is found in the book of Isaiah, where the seraphim proclaim the holiness of God: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth" (Isaiah 6:3). Another significant instance is in the New Testament, where Jesus uses threefold repetition to emphasize the importance of a teaching or prophecy. In the Gospel of John, Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love Me?" (John 21:15-17). This repetition not only speaks to Peter’s threefold denial of Christ but also underscores the depth and sincerity required in our commitment to Christ.

 

So, when you are in distress, make a mayday call to the Lord.  Don’t be afraid to repeat it! Maybe more than three times.  That can help show your sincerity! ~jme

 

 THOUGHT  OF THE DAY:🤔 'Tis not enough to help the feeble up, but to support them after. ~William Shakespeare