No Graven Image

A Novel

By: Elisabeth Elliot

Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya

First published in 1966, No Graven Image is the only novel of the best-selling author Elisabeth Elliot.

Margaret, an intrepid twenty-five-year-old missionary, travels to the Andes Mountains of Ecuador to start her ministry. She sees little progress at first, but eventually gains a following and an enhanced reputation for her part in the safe and seemingly miraculous delivery of a breech baby. Things seem to be going well. She works on her translation of the Bible into the Indian language and befriends a native and his family. Then tragedy strikes, shaking Margaret's entire way of thinking.

Full of excitement, human emotion, and exotic South American culture and color, No Graven Image is sure to captivate new audiences everywhere.

©1966, 1982, 2003 Elisabeth Elliot (P)2025 The Elisabeth Elliot Foundation

Elizabeth Elliot at her best

This is not a sweet tale for children or the naive idealist. This novel brings Elliot‘s experience, insight & passion the bear as she explores the heart and mind of someone who is genuinely seeking to serve the living God in near impossible situations.
I was thoroughly engaged and found it difficult to put down. This story will stay with me a long time. It gave me a lot to think about and more aware of the adventure/challenge of living for God. I was surprised by how effectively the author used a novel to reveal insight into the human heart.

Truthful

Having been a missionary it is so good to hear Elisabeth Elliot express her frustrations with glossing over of hard truths and the defense of how God in his sovereignty sometimes doesn't work and move the way we thought he would. We continue to worship and love through unexplained loss, failure and hardship that tests our faith. Because He is God and He deserves our abandonment to Him. We are free to love Him with out having to gloss over the rough things, free to love Him because we trust Him. Free to love Him without having to paint a different picture than what is. He can defend Himself.

The real Lord’s work

The prideful perspectives we have as western Christians are evidenced in the storyline of the hopes of personal glories to be had from missionary work. God is the great humbler and allows us to experience what is necessary to bring Him rightfully back into view and exalted on His throne. Margarita’s story was so skillfully written to illuminate the realities of actual mission work, the day to day of it, the struggles, the questions that arise. We think all along that we are the masters of our own story and pat ourselves on the back for our obedience, receiving our reward in full. Yet the true reality is God’s plan unfolding, and that we are simply along for the ride, being obedient in earnest for His glory not ours.