Greetings, Precious Family:

May the Peace of the Lord be with you

Family, today’s devotional is a little different and it may not be for everyone.

One of my happiest core memories with my father goes all the way back to when I was five years old. He took me to see The Wiz, and at that age, I thought it was the most amazing thing I had ever experienced. Growing up surrounded by music both in church and at home, that moment stayed with me.

For those who may not be familiar, The Wiz is a beautiful African American adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, originally based on the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. But more than the story, it was the music that captured my heart.

There’s a song woven throughout the film called Ease On Down the Road. One line has stayed with me all these years: “Don’t you carry nothing that might be a load… come on, ease on down the road.”

As a child, I loved the rhythm of it. But as I grew older, I began to hear something deeper.
Every time I hear that song now, I am reminded of the invitation Jesus gives in Gospel of Matthew 11:28–30.

He calls to those who are weary, burdened, and weighed down—and He offers an exchange: bring your heavy loads to Him, and in return, He will give you rest and make your burdens light.

So maybe what sounded like just a song in a movie all those years ago… was echoing a truth my spirit would one day come to understand.

But if we’re honest, many of us are still carrying things we were never meant to hold.
We carry disappointment from prayers that haven’t been answered the way we hoped.
We carry guilt from past mistakes that God has already forgiven—but we keep replaying.
We carry fear about the future, trying to control outcomes that were never ours to manage in the first place.

And all the while, Jesus is still extending the same invitation: “Come to Me.”

Not when you have it all together.
Not when you’ve figured everything out.
But right in the middle of your weariness… your confusion… your heaviness.

To “ease on down the road” in a spiritual sense doesn’t mean life becomes easy—it means you stop carrying it alone.

It means learning to release what is weighing on your spirit and trusting that God is strong enough to hold it.

It means choosing surrender over striving.
It means reminding yourself daily that peace is not found in control—but in Christ.

So tonight, I want to gently ask you:

What are you carrying that God never asked you to hold?

Is it time to finally set it down?

Scripture Passage of the Day

Matthew 11:28-30
New International Version

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Let Us Pray

Spirit of the Living God, You see every burden I’ve been carrying—both the ones I speak about and the ones I keep hidden. Tonight, I choose to bring them to You. Teach me how to release what was never mine to hold and to trust You more deeply with every part of my life. Give me the courage to surrender, the faith to let go, and the peace that comes from resting in You. Lord, in your mercy, hear my prayer.

And I let it be…And so it is…

Amen, Amen, and Amen

Video of the Day

Rev. Marcia Davis, BA, MA

Covington, GA (USA)