Considering a wireless sensor network whose nodes are distributed randomly over a given area, a probability model for the network lifetime is provided. Using this model and assuming that packet generation follows a Poisson distribution, an analytical expression for the complementary cumulative density function (ccdf) of the lifetime is obtained. Using this ccdf, one can accurately find the probability that the network achieves a given lifetime. It is also shown that when the number of sensors, , is large, with an error exponentially decaying with , one can predict whether or not a certain lifetime can be achieved. The results of this work are obtained for both multi-hop and single-hop wireless sensor networks and are verified with computer simulation. The approaches of this paper are shown to be applicable to other packet generation models and the effect of the area shape is also investigated.