God . . . sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.

— Genesis 8:1

After human beings brought sin into the world (Genesis 3), things grew worse and worse until God decided to use the power of water in the form of a flood (Genesis 6). Many people would die, but God saved Noah and his family to become the stewards God had created them to be. In Genesis 8 we are told that Noah’s ark came to rest in some mountains, and that God “sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” Where have we seen a “wind” (or Spirit?) passing over waters before? Look back to Genesis 1:2. The Spirit (wind) of God hovers over the waters as the story of creation begins. And here, in Genesis 8, God is giving humans and his creation a new start. Noah sends out a dove to fly over the receding waters and look for a place to land. But it finds nothing at first. Seven days later, though, the dove returns with a leaf from an olive tree—a clear sign that plant life was flourishing again on God’s earth.

Here, then, we see God resurrecting creation after the flood and making it possible for human stewards to take care of the earth again. How are we doing as the stewards of God’s creation today?

Heavenly Father, we admit that we often ignore your call to care for your world and its creatures, including other people. Forgive us. Thank you for second chances (and many more) to listen to you and to obey your invitation to love and care for all that you have made. Amen.