The question seems a bit confused as posed. On the one hand, asking God "why is there something rather than nothing?" is odd if one is looking for the cause, ra

The question seems a bit confused as posed. On the one hand, asking God "why is there something rather than nothing?" is odd if one is looking for the cause, rather than the reason or motive. If you're asking God, then you're addressing the Cause! But why does God create the universe? If God is perfect, then He has no need to create, thus it must be a free act. It must have been for the sake of those created. If you're asking why there is existence, first, existence does exist, as existence "is" existence, and second, God is Existence Itself (Ipsum Esse Substitens) by which everything is, so again, if you're addressing God, you are already addressing the Act of Existence Himself!