why do i need a god?

Why would someone need a god? someone to pray to? someone to look forward to, for help, for succour? It is so easy to blame the fallout of your actions (executed due to your choices) to a higher power. That is why the concept of god has been so popular throughout the history of mankind. Someone to be feared, someone who would judge us one day, someone who would either welcome us to the gardens of eden or who would push us to penitentiary. All my life I have been fearful of earning God's wrath. All my life I have prayed to a higher power for blessing, so that difficulties can be surmounted by some divine power, so that I can be saved from unsavoury incidents, so that I can always get the best of everything, so that I can get love, so that I can be appreciated for my work. Nietsze had said long time back that god was dead, that he has been dead for a long time. Osho said that if there is no god for you, then learn to live with that empty space. William Bramley says that the concept of god was created by an alien race to keep us humans under control. So the final burning question is - is there a higher power? Should we pray to him? Will He ever manifest Himselft to us? Will it be also vengeful or will it be merciful? And what if there is no such higher power? Will that make our lives harder to live? So, was G. right? that an evil magician has put us under a spell so that we only focus on day to day life and not focus on our spiritual growth.