1 Kings 8:44
If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shall pray unto the LORD toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for thy name: If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shall pray unto the LORD toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for thy name:
This petition belongs to Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple he was appointed to build, offered with a sense of need for divine power. In that prayer he asked that the people would remain wholly devoted to the Lord and give their hearts to him undividedly. The prayer reflects his close relationship with God at that time, before he later turned to idolatry, led the people toward idolatry, and dishonored God.
The verse concerns Israel going out to battle against its enemy whithersoever God sent and directed them, including war and oppression by an enemy. In that situation the people, including their leaders and chief men, were to pray toward the city God chose, Jerusalem, and toward the house built for his name. They were to ask God to hear their prayer and supplication in heaven, uphold their cause, and deliver them. God was especially to show favor when the people faced such conflict and their chief men entered the house of prayer to plead for deliverance.
Pointing prayer toward the temple made it a focus for prayer, not an object of worship; it signifies worship directed to God himself, in whom Israel's dependence lay. The people who built the temple were many and the house was large and grand, and God honored them because they built him a sanctuary where they could meet to worship him, blessing those who worshiped him sincerely. The temple is a place where God meets his people by his Spirit when they gather for worship, but he is not confined to it; he visits and encourages his people in their homes and wherever they are, and they may worship him in every place.
The direction to pray toward God's chosen place applied both when worshiping at the sanctuary and when scattered far from it, so that even in distant lands or captivity the way remained open for the faithful to seek God through prayer and supplication. Worship connected with the sanctuary involved searching the heart and confessing sin, with prayers rising as with the incense as worshipers relied by faith on the merits of the promised Savior. The appointed morning and evening sacrifices established set times for worship, and praying at those hours remains an example of seeking pardon and needed blessings with a sincere spirit.