⁵ “And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. ⁶ But as for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

⁷ “And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

⁹ “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name . . .

“For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses. ^[1]

~Jesus (Matthew 6:5-15

What does Jesus expect from us at work? Jesus expects us to pray at work. Jesus says “When you pray”.

How should we pray at work? Jesus is noticeably clear on this. We are to pray in secret. Secret can mean lots of things. It could be at our desk with our eyes open praying in our mind and not with our voice. The point is that it should not be public or noticeable.

Why does Jesus want it to be in secret? Jesus knows that public (and long) prayer will be seen for what it is. It is hypocrisy in wanting to look good in front of others.

What about the “Lord’s Prayer”? Jesus gave us a model or a template, but it is my opinion it should not be mindlessly repeated as a “rote/ritual prayer”. Notice that is short and to the point. Much of it is focused on forgiveness.

God’s goal for us at work: Jesus is clear. We are to pray at work. We can do it a lot. It will make an enormous difference in bringing forward the power of God in the corporate environment. It will improve our relationships

^[1] New American Standard Bible. (2020). (Mt 6:5–15). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.