如何与上司相处
尼希米记二章1至11节
1亚达薛西王二十年尼散月，在王面前摆酒，我拿起酒来奉给王。我素来在王面前没有愁容。
2王对我说：你既没有病，为甚么面带愁容呢？这不是别的，必是你心中愁烦。于是我甚惧怕。
3我对王说：愿王万岁！我列祖坟墓所在的那城荒凉，城门被火焚烧，我岂能面无愁容么？
4王问我说：你要求甚么？于是我默祷天上的神。
5我对王说：仆人若在王眼前蒙恩，王若喜欢，求王差遣我往犹大，到我列祖坟墓所在的那城去，我好重新建造。
6那时王后坐在王的旁边。王问我说：你去要多少日子？几时回来？我就定了日期。于是王喜欢差遣我去。
7我又对王说：王若喜欢，求王赐我诏书，通知大河西的省长准我经过，直到犹大；
8又赐诏书，通知管理王园林的亚萨，使他给我木料，做属殿营楼之门的横梁和城墙，与我自己房屋使用的。王就允准我，因我神施恩的手帮助我。
9王派了军长和马兵护送我。我到了河西的省长那里，将王的诏书交给他们。
10和伦人参巴拉，并为奴的亚扪人多比雅，听见有人来为以色列人求好处，就甚恼怒。
11我到了耶路撒冷，在那里住了三日。
信息分享
尼希米虽然记挂着耶路撒冷的境况而心中悲伤，但他却一直不让自己面带愁容地侍候王。但终于在某一天，他可能已无法压抑，所以露出了愁容，引来王对他关心的询问：「你是否有甚么忧愁的事？你今天看来十分愁烦。」经这一问，尼希米的伤痛便仿如崩堤般难以压抑，他便把实情清清楚楚地告诉王。
王再询问他说：「你打算怎样做呢？你有甚么计划呢？」尼希米在第4节的反应是：「于是我默祷天上的神」。王可能鉴于尼希米的优秀工作表现，不想他离开皇宫太久。这是给每位基督徒的重要提醒。所有上司都肯定会善待忠心能干的下属。
尼希米已经仔细构思了重建城墙的计划，算出了工程所需的时间、所需的材料和施工的程序。对神的信靠并没有排除慎重的计划。我们在祷告的当儿，可同时作出计划。然后，当神的时间到了，我们就知道该如何踏出第一步。
王同意了尼希米的要求，批准他回去。尼希米在启程之前，再向王提出了两个请求：第一是赐他诏书，让地方官员准许他在他们管辖的地方经过；第二是求王让他使用国家的林木。神可以使用异教的王来供应用尼希米所需用的一切。
可是，来到第10节，我们却听到另一种声音。每当神的仆人要为神工作的时候，就总会遇到反对的人。因此，遇到反对的声音，未必表示你所做的事情不合乎神的旨意。但你或许应该先停下来，重新检视自己是否走在神的旨意中。如果你肯定的话，就该下定决心，勇往直前，专心做神的工作，像尼希米一样。
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.