James 1:7
ESV
For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
NIV
That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
NASB
For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
CSB
That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord,
NLT
Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
KJV
For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
NKJV
For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
What does James 1:7 mean?
This verse is part of a profound idea explained in verses 5 through 8. James has written that God stands ready and willing to give away wisdom—for free and without finding fault—to all who ask Him for it. But they must ask believing that God is trustworthy to give wisdom. They must be ready to act on the wisdom He gives.However, those who see God's way as only one of many options will spend their lives being driven back and forth by whatever wind blows strongest. A person who comes to God, asking for wisdom, but without faith—continuing to shop around for sources of wisdom contrary to God—will be like a wave tossed around by the wind. Looking for other ways to receive God's wisdom, such as other Christian advisors, is not the same thing as looking for options separate from God's will.
Here, in verse 7, James makes it clear that the faithless person shouldn't expect to receive any wisdom from God. God cares deeply that His children, believers in Jesus, will trust Him exclusively. He has no interest in being one booth we visit in the marketplace of theological ideas. He wants to be our first and final stop.
If we don't trust Him exclusively, we will receive no wisdom from Him, at all.
