Youthful Lust Poem by Christen Kuikoua

O LORD God Almighty,
how shall a man serve You
when his flesh wars against his soul?
How shall one walk uprightly
when desire pulls him toward the pit?

I confess before You, O God:
You have been faithful in all Your ways,
yet I have not been faithful in guarding my eyes.
My heart strays;
my members rebel against the law of my mind.

Many times have I vowed before You,
and many times have I fallen again.
My promises rise like morning mist
and vanish by the heat of temptation.
Have mercy upon me, O LORD,
according to Your steadfast love;
according to the multitude of Your compassion,
blot out my transgressions.

For I cry to You from deep waters,
and the flood seeks to overwhelm me.
Sin surrounds me like a river,
and my strength fails within me.
Hear my cry, O God;
let my shout reach Your throne,
for the grief of sinning against You
crushes my bones.

I know, O LORD, that the way of the sinner leads to death,
and that lust is a path whose end is destruction.
Yet You delight not in the death of a man,
but in his return to wisdom.
Preserve my life, O God,
and deliver me from youthful desire.

Set a guard upon my eyes, O LORD;
turn them away from vanity.
Restrain my hands from defiling what is holy,
for my body is the temple You have claimed.
Teach me discretion,
that wisdom may enter my heart
and understanding may keep me.

Turn not Your face from me in my falling,
for if You mark iniquity, who could stand?
Hold back Your wrath;
do not cast me away from Your presence.
Deliver me from my own counsel,
for my ways are foolish without You.

I have dishonored my vow,
yet You remain faithful.
Restore my soul, O God;
lead me again in paths of righteousness
for Your name's sake.
Then shall I teach transgressors Your ways,
and those bound by lust shall learn wisdom.

Deliver my members from their craving for sin;
train my heart in the fear of the LORD,
for the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.
Let Your righteousness satisfy me
until desire loses its voice
and holiness becomes my delight.

Teach me to remain in godliness,
to walk circumspectly and not as a fool,
that I may reflect Your likeness upon the earth.
For You, O LORD, are my Defender and my portion,
my Lover and my Shield forever.

Amen.