2 Chronicles 6:19

Have respect therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee:

Have respect therefore to the prayer of thy servant. No person who entertains just and exalted views of the spiritual nature of the Divine Being will suppose that be can raise a temple for the habitation of Deity as a man builds a house for himself. Nearly as improper and inadmissible is the idea that a temple can contribute to enhance the glory of God, as a monument may be raised in honour of a great man. Solomon described the true and proper use of the temple, when he entreated that the Lord 'would hearken unto the supplications of His servant and His people Israel, which they should make toward this place.' In short, the grand purpose for which the temple was erected was precisely the same as that contemplated by churches-to afford the opportunity and means of public and social worship, according to the ritual of the Mosaic dispensation-to supplicate the divine mercy and favour-to render thanks for past instances of goodness, and offer petitions for future blessings (see the notes at 1 Kings 8:22). This religious design of the temple-the ONE temple in the world-is in fact its standpoint of absorbing interest.