Why the Creator saved His best act for last and it wasn’t what you think
By Michael Hirsch
Have you ever been to a concert where the real magic happened during the encore?
The lights go down. The crowd roars. And then the artist returns for that one final song—often the one everyone came to hear.
There’s something about the encore that makes it special. It’s not just another song. It’s the moment the artist chooses to leave you with. The lasting impression. The grand finale.
God did an encore at creation. And most of us missed it entirely.
The Ultimate Plot Twist
For six days, God created with increasing intensity. Light and darkness. Sky and sea. Land and vegetation. Sun, moon, and stars. Every creature that swims, flies, or walks.
Then humans—the crown of creation, made in His own image.
You’d think that was the finale, right? The crescendo? The moment where God steps back and takes His bow?
But God had one more act.
On the seventh day, after the most spectacular creative display in history, God didn’t create something new. He created space. Not another thing, but time. Not production, but presence.
And here’s the kicker: He called it holy.
The First Holy Thing
Notice what God blessed first. Not the magnificent stars or the majestic mountains. Not even humanity, His image-bearers.
The first thing God called holy was time set apart for rest.
Think about that. Before any temple was built, before any ritual was established, before any religious ceremony existed, God sanctified a rhythm. A pause. A weekly reset button for His creation.
This wasn’t God needing a break—He doesn’t get tired. This was God modeling something essential for you.
What You’ve Been Missing
We’ve turned the creation story into a productivity manual. Six days of work, then collapse. But that misses the entire point of the encore.
God’s seventh day wasn’t recovery time. It was revelation time.
It was God saying, “I want to be with what I’ve made. Not just observe it or manage it or improve it. I want to delight in it.”
That includes you.
What if your restless drive to keep creating, keep building, keep improving isn’t actually what God wants from you every day of the week?
What if He’s still inviting you into the encore—that sacred space where you simply exist in His presence?
Your Weekly Encore
This Friday, consider accepting God’s oldest invitation. Not to do more, but to be more. Not to create something, but to celebrate Someone.
Light a candle. Pause the productivity. Enter the encore God has been performing every seventh day since the beginning.
Because the best act wasn’t the six days of creation. It was the one day of connection.
Want to understand how Jesus restored this gift? Read Jesus and the Sabbath Rebels.
Ready to break your own productivity addiction? Take the Pressing Pause Challenge this week.
Michael and Selah Hirsch are the founders of Start Sabbath, helping leaders, achievers, and families around the world discover the gift of sacred rest.
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