Psalm 103: 1-2 Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

Today we speak about “friends with benefits”. The first time I heard that phrase, it came across to me as quite cynical. I thought: how can you befriend someone just because it will benefit you? That to me seemed counter to the whole principle of friendship. My understanding has always been that you befriend someone because something in your personalities attracts you to each other, or you befriend someone with a view to helping them. If in time other benefits accrue, so be it. Have I been naïve all my life?

Here in Psalm 103 David breaks out in praise to God and, indeed, he is counting the benefits that are a result of his relationship with God. He counts them: forgiveness of sins, healing of diseases, rescue from danger, love and compassion, good things which energize our physical bodies, righteousness and justice for the oppressed, grace – not being treated as we deserve. That is most precious to me every time I fail God. David praises God for the magnitude of his love by comparing it to the distance between heaven and earth; and he praises him for having the heart of a compassionate father towards his children. What more can we ask and how can we fail to live in the light of this wondrous love?

How did we become the object of God’s love and gain access to all these benefits? It was one-sided actually: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4: 10). God initiated the friendship, at great price. “And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”  (1 John 4:21). The ball is now in your court and mine.