A close friend is suffering a serious illness, it is likely to curtail his life. I’m spending a lot of time wrestling with the sometimes trite response ‘it all happens for a reason,’ or ‘it’s in His hands.’ Does God kill people? Or does nature? If it’s nature why hope and pray for a change in outcome? Or give blessings of healing? If, on the other hand God does retain power over death, does that also mean God can choose the moment of our passing? If so, that leads to some unpleasant scenarios.