Published by P & R Publishing on August 6, 2025
Genres: Non-Fiction, Christian Life, Theology
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
How do Christians endure suffering that upends every aspect of life—perhaps permanently? Comprehensive and chronic suffering can assault our faith, strain our relationships, and leave others in the church unsure how to help. A shaky theology of suffering—others’ or our own—only compounds our hurt.
In this honest, direct, and compassionate guide, Karrie Hahn tackles the hard questions: What does affliction reveal about who God is and how he relates to us? How can we move forward when we are devastated by pain? She helps sufferers keep walking by faith—and equips other believers to walk with them for the long haul.
The Christian publishing industry offers all kinds of books about suffering, but most of them assume that you are dealing with a very specific form of trial, and that it will only last for a mere season of your life. Karrie Hahn poses the question of where a believer should go for help when their suffering encompasses every area of life, especially when it appears that nothing will change. She reflects that even though Christians can muster up their resources to withstand temporary seasons of even very intense suffering, trials that stretch on for years wear people down to the point where conventional Christian advice about suffering falls short or even feels harmful.
Hahn shares her own personal story of comprehensive and chronic suffering, and she explores the impact that this had on her faith, particularly with the questions that it raised and the difficulties she felt fitting in with “normal” people at church. Throughout part of Limping Heavenward, she unpacks theological ideas related to suffering, countering some of the harmful platitudes that are common in Christian culture, and she suggests possible answers to some of the questions that have tormented her.
Hahn leans heavily on the book of Job throughout this process, and she also uses this book of the Bible to address the topic of how other believers can support people whose lives have fallen apart, instead of being “miserable comforters” like Job’s friends. She then shares wisdom and encouragement for her primary audience on how to live a faithful Christian life in spite of all-encompassing pain, and the book also includes an appendix with practical tips for helpers.
Limping Heavenward: Living by Faith in Comprehensive and Chronic Suffering is a wise, Scripture-focused book that offers a unique perspective on the familiar topic of suffering. I found this book encouraging due to my own life circumstances, and I would recommend it as a thoughtful and caring guide for other Christians dealing with ongoing suffering that affects multiple areas of their lives. This is also a must-read for pastors, friends, and counselors who want to better understand and support people suffering from ongoing, all-encompassing grief and pain.
