However many blessings we expect from God, His infinite

“However many blessings we expect from God, His infinite liberality will always exceed all our wishes and our thoughts.” So wrote John Calvin, the steadfast reformer of Geneva, whose soul burned with reverence for the majesty of God’s providence. In this single sentence lies the fragrance of eternity—the humbling realization that no heart can outdream the generosity of Heaven. Our desires, though vast to us, are but the whisper of a wave compared to the ocean of divine liberality. For while man measures goodness by what he can see or touch, God’s mercy flows beyond measure, beyond time, beyond the small horizon of mortal thought.

Calvin’s words were not born from ease, but from struggle and awe. He lived in an age of fire and reformation, when the soul of Europe trembled between faith and fear. Yet amid persecution and labor, Calvin beheld something wondrous: that God’s gifts are not bound by the limits of our imagination. When he spoke of infinite liberality, he meant not gold or fame, but the abundance of grace—the peace that surpasses understanding, the joy that blooms even in the soil of suffering. For he knew, as all wise men learn, that God’s blessings are not always what we expect, but always what we need.

Consider the story of George Müller, the humble man of Bristol, who in the nineteenth century built orphanages for thousands of children without ever asking a soul for money. He prayed, and bread would arrive at dawn. He trusted, and milk would appear when there was none left. When people asked him how this could be, he answered only that God’s generosity is endless to those who believe. He expected little but received much, not because he demanded miracles, but because he relied entirely on the infinite liberality of the One who gives more than human hearts dare to request. His life was a living testament that faith draws down rivers of grace from unseen heights.

And so Calvin’s words teach us to lift our eyes higher. Too often we confine our prayers within narrow walls, fearing to ask too much, or doubting that Heaven listens. Yet the divine heart does not grow weary of giving. The stars that burn through the night, the breath that fills our lungs, the unexpected kindness of a stranger—all these are signs that God’s abundance overflows quietly, waiting to be recognized. To expect little from Him is not humility, but forgetfulness of His nature. For He is not a miserly ruler counting coins of grace, but a Father whose table is always overflowing.

There is a paradox in divine generosity: the more we receive, the more we realize how vast His storehouse truly is. The ancients said that when man drinks from the river of grace, his thirst increases, not because he is ungrateful, but because he has glimpsed infinity. Every answered prayer is but a doorway to deeper wonder. Every mercy given reveals a thousand yet unseen. Thus, the wise do not pray merely for blessings—they pray for the capacity to recognize and rejoice in them.

From this truth flows a powerful lesson. Do not measure your hope by what you deserve, but by what God’s love can bestow. Expect from Him not what fits your plans, but what fulfills His purpose. When the path grows dark and prayers seem unanswered, remember that His liberality may be preparing blessings greater than your wishes—blessings that can only be seen when the night turns to dawn. Trust that no tear, no trial, no longing is wasted; each is a seed sown in the soil of divine providence.

Therefore, O seeker of faith, live not in small expectation but in radiant trust. Lift your heart as one who knows that the universe itself was born from generosity. When you give, give freely; when you receive, receive with gratitude; and when you wait, wait with hope. For the same infinite liberality that fashioned the stars also watches over you. The heavens do not exhaust their treasures, nor does the Creator tire of giving.

And remember this above all: the truest blessing is not the gift, but the Giver. To dwell in His presence, to walk in His will, to rest in His love—these are riches beyond measure. For every wish you bring before Him, He has already prepared something greater, something eternal. Trust, therefore, not in your expectations, but in His abundance, for His generosity shall always exceed your dreams.