Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot
Week 9: Chapters 17–18 — Trusting God with Unanswered Questions
Read Chapters 17–18 of Passion and Purity. Primary Scripture: Proverbs 3:5–6; Isaiah 55:8–9.
Previewing Week 9 of Passion and Purity
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 13-week guide when you’re ready.
Elliot is honest that she did not always understand what God was doing in her love story — there were years of silence, uncertainty, and apparent contradiction. These chapters ask whether we trust God when the story doesn't make sense yet.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.What does Elliot say about the relationship between trusting God and understanding His ways? Does she think we need to understand before we can trust?
2.She describes periods when Jim seemed to pull back from the relationship without clear explanation — and the agony of not knowing what that meant. How did she respond, and what does her response model for us?
3."My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways" (Isaiah 55:8). Elliot uses this passage not as a conversation-stopper but as a foundation for trust. How does the incomprehensibility of God's ways become a comfort rather than a frustration for her?