Finding God in Healthcare

My wife, Jodi, had a stroke last October. A clot was blocking her left mid-cerebral artery. She presented to me at 7pm while at home, was in surgery at 8pm, and out by 9pm. What a crazy night, and the beginning of a crazy journey in the health care system.

I’m grateful to share that my wife is doing great having made an almost full recovery. Yet, the experience with the hospital, medical and non-medical staff, appointment makers and billing offices was transformative, and not always for the better. Some were outstanding and ministered to us; some we wondered how they still had a job. Through it all, my questions and concerns for U.S. healthcare only grew. Most of all, I asked, “Where is God in healthcare?” and, “How are healthcare industry workers building His kingdom in the midst of such brokenness?”

For the latest episode of Nuance, I sit down with Dr. Mark Topazian to explore these exact questions. Mark is a 30-year gastroenterologist, professor, and author who pushes the boundaries of his field. With terms of service at Yale and the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Topazian moved to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to teach in public hospitals.

Mark is the author of the fantastic new book, Healing Purpose: Finding Satisfaction in a Healthcare Career (InterVarsity Press). Mark doesn’t romanticize healthcare. He knows the grueling reality and compassion fatigue firsthand. Yet, he refuses to accept the modern lie that hospitals are spiritually neutral spaces.

In this conversation, we push past the typical notions of medical burnout to look at the deep, theological reality of healing. Here is a sample of what we covered in the episode:

• Outposts of the Kingdom: We can actually view our clinics, hospitals, and emergency rooms as outposts of God’s kingdom. Because all healing is ultimately attributable to God, any patient experiencing healing is having a close encounter with the kingdom, whether they realize it or not .

• Two Unified Narratives: Mark explains how the scientific narrative of medicine and the biblical narrative of healing are not in conflict. True health aligns with the Hebrew concept of shalom—a holistic well-being that encompasses body, soul, and spirit .

• The Spiritual History: Taking a patient’s spiritual history isn’t covert evangelism; it is scientifically backed, best medical practice. We discuss tools like the FICA and LORD acronyms that help clinicians diagnose spiritual realities respectfully.

• The Danger of Religious Struggle: When patients believe God has abandoned them, doesn’t love them, or that the devil caused their illness, they are experiencing “religious struggle” . Dr. Topazian shares sobering data showing that patients with this specific lly face higher mortality rates .

• Microhabits for the Shift: How do you stay tethered to God during a chaotic shift? Mark shares practical “microhabits,” like putting a Bible verse on your phone’s lock screen or praying a quick lament while washing your hands between patients.

• The Saline Process: For healthcare workers looking to go deeper, we highlight the Saline Process, a 10-hour workshop that trains professionals to integrate their faith into patient interactions with permission, sensitivity, and respect.

If you work in healthcare, or if you simply care about how our faith intersects with human suffering and vocational burnout, you will want to listen to this one.