The understanding I am starting to get about the conception of God in Sikhism is that God is the underlying creative force of the universe. In terms of 'reciting the name of God' - I take this to mean not a meaningless ritualistic or submissive act but, instead, an attempt to connect oneself with an underlying divine consciousness that pervades everything.
The question is I think somewhat related to the idea of consciousness --> how is human consciousness present in the universe? There are numerous theories and I wouldn't want to dismiss them, even the idea that it simply 'happened'. But in terms of choosing ways to approach life, the idea that my consciousness is itself an extension of a universal mind - this is not only 'comforting' in a basic sense, but is also academically/philosophically defensible. There is, I think, in a very strange, paradoxical sense, an 'empirical' basis for this - the experience of listening to gurbani, of being engaged with 'the religious' has an effect on people. It makes them feel loved, it allows them to let go of greed, anger, hate and the material. Is it merely a psychological 'trick'? I don't know. But am I starting to feel a connectedness to that which might transcend my own mind? - possibly.
best,
Navneet