I speed over speed bumps. Tell me I can’t do something, and I will do it. I don’t care much for rules. I’m not good with authority. At the same time I like routine, and I like things to be predictable. Thankfully, not everyone is like me. Some people are spontaneous. Some people have no trouble with authority. We are not all alike. Just as I wonder what others are like, I also wonder what God is like.

In the story of creation we discover some of what the Hebrews believed about God’s nature. We discover they believed him to be the authority, the boss. When he spoke, things happened. They believed his creation also revealed Him to be predictable. Acorns produced oak trees, and apple seeds produced apple trees. The solar system is so predictable you can set your clock by it.

Genesis 1 reveals some of God’s nature, but not all of it. We deceive ourselves if we begin to believe that God is so predictable we know what he’s going to do next. We deceive ourselves if we believe that God is so much the authoritarian that he will not allow us to experience freedom.

God is dependable, but he still surprises me. God desires to be my lord, yet he’s created me so that my choices still matter. The more I choose to seek God’s will, the more wonderfully surprising my life becomes.