This week, the week of Valentine’s, seems like a good time to pray about sexuality in a sexually insane world. Please join me in this prayer of confession and hope, and please share this prayer with others. 

“This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.” Gen. 2:24-25, NLT

“Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.” Eph. 5:3-4

Most merciful, Creator God, we come to you, weighed down by the sexual insanity of this world, deeply broken over our own deceitful lust and greed, and profoundly thankful for your everlasting mercy.

We praise you for your creation of holy and exuberant sexuality.

We praise you for your exquisite design of sexual love expressed in the context of marriage—two sinner-saints joined together in lifelong covenant. You knew that there would be inexpressible joy coupled with heart-shattering grief. You knew the man would fail the woman in silence. You knew the woman would try to take life into her own hands. You created and redeemed sexual love in marriage for your glory.

Lord, we confess that not one of us is free of sexual immorality. Some of us let our eyes linger long on someone else’s spouse; others darken our minds with words and images that have nothing to do with your holy sexuality. We consume others, not caring how our lust may wound them or grieve you.

Lord, we also confess that we have failed to protect our young.

We don’t know what to do with a culture of adolescents that sext and hook up in school hallways, so we give reprimands but refuse to enter hard conversations.

Rather than recognize and respond to the horrifying news of young children being sexually trafficked, we change the channel to something more soothing.

We tell women and men who have suffered sexual abuse that what happened wasn’t really a big deal or that the other person didn’t really mean it.

In the midst of all of this sexual insanity, Lord, we bow before you, marveling at your mercy and forgiveness.

The apostle Paul had it right when he offered thanksgiving as the holy alternative to sexual immorality.

We thank you…

for creating holy sex.

We thank you…

for your healing love that meets us in the midst 

of our sexual brokenness.

We thank you…

for your compassion and mercy for the abused, the oppressed, and the addicted.

We thank you…

for never shaming or humiliating us, 

but inviting us to flourish in the healing mercy of our faithful and ever-loving Savior, Jesus Christ.

In his precious and holy name we pray. Amen.