It's no exaggeration to say that the book of Ephesians brought me back from the brink and into faith.

Yesterday, I spoke of the role of Paul's first prayer in Ephesians 1. Now look at his second prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21:

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Look what is available to us: "power through his Spirit . . . power together with all the saints . . . immeasurably more power that is at work within us . . ." When you live this prayer, you recognize that true faith is not limiting; it is limitless.

And speaking of limitless, I love the progression of verses 18 & 19. Notice the dimensions of God love: "how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." And then pay attention to the impossible "command" of v.19: "to know this love that surpasses knowledge."

How can you "know" something that is beyond knowing? I don't know!

But you can feel that love. You can be surprised by that love. You can be comforted by that love. And you can never escape the clutches of that love.

That's worth getting carried away today.

I have found myself wanting to get carried away like Paul recently.

What do I mean by that?

Scattered throughout his letters, there are times when Paul becomes so exuberant about the subject at hand that he simply gets carried away. It's almost always when he is speaking of the authority, sovereignty, and mystery of the risen Christ.

When that is Paul's subject, his language becomes thick with adjectives, full of adverbs, and replete with wonder.

When you remember that Paul most likely dictated his letters, you can envision him walking around his scribe, gesturing with his hands, raising his voice, and becoming more and more in love with his topic: Jesus, Lord of Lords and Kings of Kings.

I know the times I get most carried way in preaching come when I am preaching on Paul's own carried away words.

We find one such carried away place in Romans 11:33-36. Paul is here speaking with great personal anguish over the eternal state of his family, both immediate and extended: the Jews. Yet here's how he closes the stream-of-consciousness argument he's been having with himself since Chapter Nine:

33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and[a] knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”[b]
35 “Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?”[c]
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Indeed.