If Jesus is God, why did he pray to God?

Christian doctrine holds that Jesus is one distinct person of the Trinity—the Son—not identical to the Father. Prayer to the Father reflects a real, personal relationship between distinct persons who share one divine nature, not one being talking to itself.

Jesus also possessed a genuine, complete human nature, and prayer was part of how he lived that human life fully—expressing dependence, seeking strength, and modeling for his followers exactly the kind of relationship with God he wanted them to have. Hebrews describes him offering "prayers and appeals with loud cries and tears" during his earthly life, language describing real, felt human need.

Both truths hold together in classical Christian doctrine: as the eternal Son, Jesus relates personally to the Father; as a genuine human being, he prayed the way any faithful person would, dependent on God for strength, guidance, and comfort.