God answers to no higher power
The Bible presents God as utterly free from outside control. He is not one powerful being among many, negotiating with rivals or bound by a standard above him. Psalm 115 says that God is in heaven and acts according to his pleasure, while Daniel describes no one as able to stop his hand or demand an account from him (Psalm 115:3; Daniel 4:35).
That doesn't mean God is unpredictable or careless. His freedom is the freedom of the Creator, who sees the whole story and rules with perfect wisdom. Paul says that God works all things in line with the purpose of his own will (Ephesians 1:11).
But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
God freely created
God did not create the world because he was lonely, incomplete, or forced to do so. Before anything existed, God already was. When Moses asked for God's name at the burning bush, God revealed himself in a way that points to his self-existence and independence (Exodus 3:14).
Creation, then, is a gift of God's free will. Revelation pictures all things existing because God willed them to be created (Revelation 4:11). This matters because it means the world is not an accident, and neither is God's care for it.
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
God's character is not a limit imposed on him
People sometimes ask, "If God is free, can he do anything at all?" Scripture gives a careful answer. God is almighty, but he does not act contrary to who he is. He cannot lie, and he cannot deny himself (Titus 1:2; 2 Timothy 2:13). James also makes clear that God is not tempted by evil and does not tempt people to evil (James 1:13).
This is not a weakness in God. A person who is able to betray a friend is not more free because of that possibility. God's holiness is not a chain around him. It is the steady goodness of his own nature. He is always free, and always faithful.
God's freedom is good news
God's freedom can sound distant at first. Yet the Bible connects his sovereign will with mercy and love. God told Moses that he would show mercy according to his own purpose, and Paul reflects on this truth while insisting that God is never unjust (Exodus 33:19; Romans 9:14-16).
Most clearly, God freely gave his Son for the world. Jesus said that no one took his life from him, but that he laid it down willingly, in obedience to the Father's command (John 10:17-18). God's freedom is not cold power. In Jesus, we see holy love choosing to rescue.
So yes, God is free. And because he is also true, wise, just, and loving, you can trust that his freedom will never turn into cruelty or selfishness. Read these passages slowly, and let them reshape both your view of God's power and your confidence in his heart.
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.