You have delegated to them rulership over all you have made with everything under their authority, placing earth itself under the feet of Your image-bearers.
~ Psalm 8:6 (tPt)
What a responsibility… He has put all things under our feet, given us control of this amazing creation He has made. After God created the heavens and the earth, He made man and woman in His image (Genesis 1:27). Genesis 1:28 says God told them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Genesis 2:8 tells us that God planted a garden, and in this garden, He placed man. If you read through the creation account, it doesn’t take long to imagine what a beautiful place the garden of Eden must have been. What truly is awe-inspiring is that God also entrusted Adam and Eve to care for His creation.
I don’t believe God’s charge in Genesis 1:28 is a free license to do whatever we want, the outcome of Adam and Eve’s sin confirms that. I believe God gave them and us the role of stewardship, one of caring for and nurturing all He placed in our hands, in the same manner that He would. God made His great creation and called it good, then turned it over to man. Everything was set under man’s authority. What a huge responsibility.
What a gift. We get to care for God’s creation with Him. As we submit to Him, we care for this creation as He would. As His image-bearers, we can create beauty alongside Him as we allow ourselves to be influenced by Him. We co-labor with Him (1 Corinthians 3:9). What does that mean to you? To me, as a woman who loves to sing, paint, and write… it means I can use those gifts to hopefully create something beautiful and good, just like my Father. I don’t remotely think I can do it alone, so I rely on Him to inspire me to create. The funny thing is, that it feeds my soul and brings me great joy at the same time.
How do you care for the world around you? Maybe you literally care for the garden in your own backyard. Maybe you make scrumptious food to share with your family, friends, or neighbors. Maybe you pick up that piece of trash that was dropped on the sidewalk. Maybe you love your neighbor. These might not be things we typically think of when we think of having authority. If Jesus is our example, and I believe He is, then we will care for this world in the same manner that He did when He laid down His life for us.
Take a moment to consider how God might be entrusting you with stewardship and authority over His creation. How might this look in your everyday life?
