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This is the point in the story where God tells Noah to leave the ark and bring out the animals and to go out and, fill the earth. This is a re-commission of the command from Genesis Ch 1 when God said he wanted all the creatures to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Let’s continue the story in verse 18.

So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives. 19 All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds—everything that moves on land—came out of the ark, one kind after another.

(Gen 8: 18-19) 

Everyone who entered the Ark, now safely leaves the Ark. But look at what Noah does next.

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.

(Gen 8: 20) 

God remembered Noah and then, Noah remembered the Lord. We are told in Hebrews chapter 13 that today we offered a sacrifice of praise, but in the Old Testament they offered a sacrifice of a lamb, a bull or a goat etc. But under the New Testament promise there is no longer a need to offer animal sacrifices. Instead, we offer a sacrifice of praise and worship. The sacrifice of Noah under the Old Testament ordnances was an expression of gratitude for God's gracious protection and deliverance from the flood. A sacrificial thanking to God for their safe deliverance and Noah indicating his dependence on the Lord as well as his devotion to the Lord. The passage then tells us.

The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”

(Gen 8: 21-22)

According to this passage, because the Lord was pleased with Noah and his sacrifice, God made two promises. Firstly, God promised that he would not destroy the earth again, even though man's heart still was inclined towards evil. In other words, even though people’s hearts are filled with evil thoughts and plans, God still said, He will not destroy the earth with water ever again. The flood wiped the slate clean as far as that previous generation was concerned. However, it is clear it did not solve the ongoing problem of humanities inclination towards evil. The flood did not solve the problem of the depravity of human nature and that problem still stands true today. 

Then secondly God promised the natural processes would continue for as long as the earth exists. God will not intervene with the natural processes of springtime and harvest and the seasons of year, day and night, summer and winter, everything which bring makes crops possible. He plans to continue to allow the natural processes to take place. Which can be for humanity good or for ill depending on our stewardship of the resources. This story reminding us that God still use natural means to allow the creative order despite humanities attempts pull it down. You could sum all this up by saying when God graciously and patiently decrease the waters of the flood and instructed Noah to empty the Ark Noah graciously offered a sacrifice to him in praise of what He had done. So, in a nutshell, what does this passage teach us? Simply it tells us that when, God remembers you, you should remember him. The passage starts out by saying God remembered, Noah and saved him and his family. And it ends up with Noah remembering to be thankful to God and offering a sacrifice in praise to God. So, I think the great spiritual lesson of this passage is, that when God remembers you. You should remember him. When God delivers you, or he blesses you, or protects you. When God provides for you, or he heals you, or saves you. You should remember him. You should remember him with a sacrifice. Sometimes the sacrifice might mean offering something of your financial or personal resources in thanksgiving for what He has done. But it always means offering a sacrifice of praise.

Also remember, that God is working even when we don't see it. God is sometimes works in miraculous ways. But remember God is always working in natural ways whether we see it or not It’s our nature not to remember God or His goodness to us, even though we should. I must confess, I often forget to thank God. I suspect we all forget sometimes. We so easily forget to thank the Lord even after he has just remembered us. So, the next time that’s you find yourself in deep water, like Noah did. Next time the Lord delivers you from it. Next time the Lord remembers you.Don't forget to remember him.