如何與上司相處
尼希米記二章1至11節
1亞達薛西王二十年尼散月，在王面前擺酒，我拿起酒來奉給王。我素來在王面前沒有愁容。
2王對我說：你既沒有病，為甚麼面帶愁容呢？這不是別的，必是你心中愁煩。於是我甚懼怕。
3我對王說：願王萬歲！我列祖墳墓所在的那城荒涼，城門被火焚燒，我豈能面無愁容麼？
4王問我說：你要求甚麼？於是我默禱天上的神。
5我對王說：僕人若在王眼前蒙恩，王若喜歡，求王差遣我往猶大，到我列祖墳墓所在的那城去，我好重新建造。
6那時王后坐在王的旁邊。王問我說：你去要多少日子？幾時回來？我就定了日期。於是王喜歡差遣我去。
7我又對王說：王若喜歡，求王賜我詔書，通知大河西的省長准我經過，直到猶大；
8又賜詔書，通知管理王園林的亞薩，使他給我木料，做屬殿營樓之門的橫梁和城牆，與我自己房屋使用的。王就允准我，因我神施恩的手幫助我。
9王派了軍長和馬兵護送我。我到了河西的省長那裡，將王的詔書交給他們。
10和倫人參巴拉，並為奴的亞捫人多比雅，聽見有人來為以色列人求好處，就甚惱怒。
11我到了耶路撒冷，在那裡住了三日。
信息分享
尼希米雖然記掛著耶路撒冷的境況而心中悲傷，但他卻一直不讓自己面帶愁容地侍候王。但終於在某一天，他可能已無法壓抑，所以露出了愁容，引來王對他關心的詢問：「你是否有甚麼憂愁的事？你今天看來十分愁煩。」經這一問，尼希米的傷痛便仿如崩堤般難以壓抑，他便把實情清清楚楚地告訴王。
王再詢問他說：「你打算怎樣做呢？你有甚麼計劃呢？」尼希米在第4節的反應是：「於是我默禱天上的神」。王可能鑑於尼希米的優秀工作表現，不想他離開皇宮太久。這是給每位基督徒的重要提醒。所有上司都肯定會善待忠心能幹的下屬。
尼希米已經仔細構思了重建城牆的計劃，算出了工程所需的時間、所需的材料和施工的程序。對神的信靠並沒有排除慎重的計劃。我們在禱告的當兒，可同時作出計劃。然後，當神的時間到了，我們就知道該如何踏出第一步。
王同意了尼希米的要求，批准他回去。尼希米在啟程之前，再向王提出了兩個請求：第一是賜他詔書，讓地方官員准許他在他們管轄的地方經過；第二是求王讓他使用國家的林木。神可以使用異教的王來供應用尼希米所需用的一切。
可是，來到第10節，我們卻聽到另一種聲音。每當神的僕人要為神工作的時候，就總會遇到反對的人。因此，遇到反對的聲音，未必表示你所做的事情不合乎神的旨意。但你或許應該先停下來，重新檢視自己是否走在神的旨意中。如果你肯定的話，就該下定決心，勇往直前，專心做神的工作，像尼希米一樣。
HOW TO GET ALONG WITH THE BOSS
Nehemiah 2:1-11
1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before.
2 Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.”
So I became dreadfully afraid,
3 and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?”
4 Then the king said to me, “What do you request?”
So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”
6 Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
7 Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah,
8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.
9 Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel.
11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days.
Message
Nehemiah had tried not to allow his sadness about Jerusalem to show on his face, but one day it just broke through. The king asked, 'What's the matter with you? You look really sad today?'. Then all the emotions of the past few months flooded out as Nehemiah told his story.
The king said, 'What do you want to do? What have you got in mind?'. Notice again what Nehemiah did (v.4). 'So I prayed.' It would seem that the king did not want him to be gone too long because Nehemiah had a good testimony as a worker. That is very important for any Christian. Certainly a boss will do more for a good worker.
Nehemiah had been planning and working out how long it would take, what he would need and how the job could be done. Faith never shuts out planning. We can plan as well as pray. Then when the Lord moves, we will know what to do next.
The king agreed to all that Nehemiah asked for. Nehemiah then added two more requests. He would need letters to the various governors along the borders of each country. Also he would need timber out of the king's forests. God saw that all that Nehemiah needed was supplied by the heathen king.
But a different note is heard in verse 10. Whenever a servant of God tries to move ahead, there will always be someone who will oppose him. Opposition does not necessarily mean that you are out of the will of God. It may throw you back on God to make sure you are in his will. When that is affirmed, you must go on with the job God has given you to do, just as Nehemiah did.