Have you ever wondered what it meant to "seek the face" of God? Especially II Chr 7:14: if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

What does that mean? To "seek His face"? The kings of old were human, just like the rest of us, and they were afraid of competition, just like the rest of us. If you wanted an audience with him, you had to be accepted, liked, wanted -- you didn't just knock on the door and get let in, you had to "seek his favour". Now, THIS -- favour -- I can understand. So, to seek God's face is to do things to get on His good side so you can have an audience with Him.

Now the NT tells me that I am to come boldly before His throne:

^{Heb 5:14-16} Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

We are not to be afraid that we will not find His favour, because we have the blood of Jesus covering us and therefore we are completely forgiven and completely loved and to be granted an audience is part of the inheritance we have received by being "in the beloved".

Eph 1:3-6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

So, we can come boldly, we don't have to "seek" His face/favour.... does that mean we can just do whatever and be whatever and God will still listen to us. Well, yes, and no. There are many conditions to His hearing our prayers:

I Pet 3:7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

I John 3:22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

James 5:15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

I Pet 3:8-10 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For

“ He who would love life
And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.” (Ps 34:12-16)

But, really only one thing that matters is:

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Because that sums it all up:

honour your wife
ask in faith with no doubting
believe that you receive
abide in Him and be sure His words abide in you
keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight
faith
righteousness

His commandments? --

Matt 22:35-40 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Mark 12:28-34 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
But after that no one dared question Him.

So simple, no? BUT:

"the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" so I must "die to self". How? "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who loves me and gave Himself for me."

which brings us back to believing, trusting, just knowing the work has been done and He is doing what needs to be done and we are doing what He wants us to do. As long as we are spending time in His prescense (reading His word -- "the washing of the water of the word" -- praying -- because how else can you get to know someone except by spending time with Him), He will do it, and that is all there is to it!