September 17, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin and Doctor of the Church // Optional Memorial of Saint Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm 111:1-6
Reflect on the Word //
I grew up about 90 minutes from one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. I remember visiting it once when I was a little girl. The Grand Canyon—averaging ten miles wide in most places and a mile deep—is more than just a giant hole in the ground. I sat near the edge, or as close as my parents would allow, legs crossed in the dirt. Looking out across the vast expanse, I couldn’t help but recognize both my smallness and a deep peace. My God created all of this. It was truly exquisite to behold.
Now, my own family lives four to five hours from “The Big Hole in the Ground,” and I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve never taken them to see it. Ten hours round-trip feels like a long time to drive just to snap a photo. But as a daughter of God, visiting the Grand Canyon is less about capturing a picture and more about witnessing one of His great works in creation.
The psalmist reminds us of this today:
“How great are the works of the Lord!
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.” (Psalm 111:1-2)
When we finally pause to take in the beauty around us, it becomes impossible to deny the greatness of the Lord’s handiwork. Not just in the iconic and majestic places, but in all of nature. We don’t have to travel across the country or the world to witness His exquisite works. Each sunrise and sunset, every flower blossom and mountain vista, every smile from a stranger, hug from a loved one, or song from a bird reflects the greatness of His creation.
You and I are part of that exquisite work—created intentionally and beautifully for a purpose in this world. What we say and do, how we act and relate to one another, can be a reflection of His goodness. And we reflect His goodness best when we thank Him with all our hearts.
Relate to the Lord // Notice the goodness of the Lord in the beauty of creation today.
Dr. Mary Ruth Hackett is a writer, national speaker, and podcast host covering topics in psychology and faith. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and works at the important intersection of faith and developmental science, blending them in the original harmony God intended. Dr. Mary Ruth is the author of Daughter by Design: Discovering Your Identity as God's Beloved Daughter, and co-coauthor of Spiritual Discernment for Beginners: Learning to Hear God and Defeat the Lies of the Enemy. She is a contributing author to All She Had and our children’s devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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