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From Luke’s Journal March 2026  |  Vol. 31  No. 1  |  God at the Bedside

“The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health.”
Psalm 41:3 (NLT)

It is an honour to present this issue of Luke’s Journal (LJ) to our readers.

The evangelist Luke has been a part of my life since I was born in St Luke’s Hospital (Sydney). As I was operated on there several times as a child and teenager, it seemed natural to train for my General Nursing Certificate there (attained in 1971). Now, in the role of guest editor of  LJ,  I feel I have come full circle as I embrace the challenges of ageing.

The list of contents reveals that the subjects range from medical missions to ministry at the bedside, particularly by nurses, midwives and carers. God and his Holy Spirit are ever present, with Jesus, the Great Physician, providing healing as witnessed in the Gospels of John and Luke who recount Jesus’ miracles with people who presented with diseases and disabilities.

Christian nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals, as well as pastoral care workers, present some intriguing contributions in different genres – from a poetic description of a golden bacteria to the Saline Process^_TM. We know that saline at 0.9% is therapeutic, but here the reader will discover that saline is not just a medicinal solution but also a healing process of the spirit that leads to knowing and being loved by Jesus Christ. Physical, social, emotional and spiritual care and support are described from Mercy ships, doctors’ offices,  hospital beds or being cared for at home. These articles are interspersed with poetry, which the anonymous author pens as the presence of God in various situations.

Most of the authors are known to me, and each other, as both colleagues and friends; we are ageing together! “Friendships enrich and enliven lives that are, at times, increasingly limited by diminished sight, hearing and mobility.” God provides us, especially in our weakest and most vulnerable states, with the resources to overcome our weaknesses and indeed our disabilities in order to serve Him (1 Corinthians 12: 12-22).

Disability is a recurring theme throughout this issue. People with disability are the largest minority group in the world (according to the WHO); one in five Australians lives with a disability, seen or unseen.  

The final journey through this issue of Luke’s Journal is written by the Directors of  Nurses Christian Fellowship Australia Ltd (NCFA). A few of them have finished serving the profession of nursing, but God has redirected them to other ministries in the community, in particular, pastoral care – Christian nurses, it seems, never retire. Charity Foo (the newest and youngest Director of  NCFA) provides the reader with insight into hospital ward work in different scenarios, and she has also provided us with her original Prayer Menu. 

This issue of Luke’s Journal ends with a book review (Brock, Brian:  Disability: Living into the Diversity of Christ’s Body), which is the fruit of studies with Louise Gosbell, the renowned advocate for disability, and I am grateful to her and Mary Andrews College for permission to publish this assignment.

It’s been quite a journey, and it’s not over yet; embracing even more study at age 75 is a gift from God. Often, I write from my bed, like Florence Nightingale after she took ill.

My final message and thanks go to the LJ Editorial Team who helped me pull this issue together, as reviewers and artists – be encouraged,  remain prayerful and thank the Lord, always (Romans 12:12).

Georgie Hoddle
Member of the Board of Directors, NCFA Ltd
NCFA Saline Process Co-Ordinator
Guest Editor of Luke’s Journal

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