如何克服灰心
尼希米记四章8至14节
8大家同谋要来攻击耶路撒冷，使城内扰乱。
9然而，我们祷告我们的神，又因他们的缘故，就派人看守，昼夜防备。
10犹大人说：灰土尚多，扛擡的人力气已经衰败，所以我们不能建造城墙。
11我们的敌人且说：趁他们不知不见，我们进入他们中间，杀他们，使工作止住。
12那靠近敌人居住的犹大人十次从各处来见我们，说：你们必要回到我们那里。
13所以我使百姓各按宗族拿刀、拿枪、拿弓站在城墙后边低洼的空处。
14我察看了，就起来对贵胄、官长，和其余的人说：不要怕他们！当记念主是大而可畏的。你们要为弟兄、儿女、妻子、家产争战。
信息分享
百姓之所以出现灰心，是有几个客观的原因的。请看第10节：他们力气衰败。他们已经做了一段很长的时间，但工作似乎做不完，他们已筋疲力竭，非常疲累。这是他们出现灰心的原因之一。
让我们反问自己：我们甚么时候最容易感到灰心？岂不是最疲累的时候吗？岂不是忙完一整天，感到太累而无法再继续下去的时候吗？留意当时的百姓已专心修建了城墙一半，所以出现劳累也很正常(6节)。同样地，当我们把工作做了一半，感到疲累的时候，却发现还有一半未做，便会觉得无法坚持下去，于是便会出现灰心。
而且，我们还得留意，百姓只看见眼前的灰土，还需很多时日去清理(10节)。他们失去了远象，只看见眼前的残垣断壁，无法憧憬修毕的城墙。我们为神工作的时候，都会有一个远象。这是神给你的远象，千万不要因为注目于眼前的境况，而令你忘记了远象，否则就只会感到灰心，而失去达成这远象的决心。
接着，百姓还感到害怕和忧虑。他们只记着人的话？请看第12节：「我们的敌人且说……」，敌人的话一定是负面的攻击或批评，我们若只记着他们的话，就当然会失去安全感，只有灰心和恐惧了。
尼希米如何帮助百姓克服灰心呢？他按照百姓的宗族将他们组织起来，安排每组轮流分工：这组修建城墙的时候，那组就拿着兵器防守，同时，也让他们有休息的机会。而最重要的，是他鼓励士气，使众人的目光专注在神的身上。留意第14节，他说：「当纪念主！」我们如何能叫自己从灰心失望中，重新站立起来呢？就是要纪念主过往为我们成就的一切，以及紧握祂给我们的应许。
DISCOURAGEMENT-ITS CAUSE AND CURE
Nehemiah 4:8-14
8 and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion.
9 Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.
10 Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.”
11 And our adversaries said, “They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.”
12 So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times, “From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us.”
13 Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
14 And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
Message
Here we are given several reasons why the people became discouraged. Look at verse 10. The people's strength was failing. They were tired. They had been working a long time at the seemingly endless task and they had become exhausted. That is one of the first reasons for discouragement.
Ask yourself-when do I feel most discouraged? Isn't it when you are most tired? When you have had a hard day and you feel too tired to go on? Then notice these people became tired half way through the job (v.6). When we are half way through, don't we begin to think the job is taking too long and we will never get finished? The result discouragement.
Then notice, all that the people could see was rubbish (v.10). They had lost their vision of the finished wall and could only see the present situation. So you have a vision for the work of God where you are? Never lose it. It has been given to you by God. Don't let the present circumstances discourage you from seeing the fulfilment of that vision.
Then they became afraid. Fear took over. Who did they start quoting? Look at verse 12. 'Our enemies say.' Have you ever heard the phrase 'They say'? It is always something negative isn't it? When you listen to that, you lose your sense of security. Fear and discouragement take its place.
What is the cure for discouragement? Nehemiah grouped the people together more into families. Then he allowed half of them to stand watch while the others worked. He gave some of them a rest. Most of all he directed their attention to the Lord. Look at verse 14. What did he say? 'Remember the Lord.' How do you do that? By remembering what he has done in the past and what he has promised to do for you now.