"Early the next morning, Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace." (Genesis 19:27-28 NIV)
Can't you just see Abraham anxiously scanning the horizon, desperately seeking any sign of survivors from the ruined cities of the plain? The smoke rising thickly over the area must have been a sight to behold, and no doubt the acrid smell would reach even to where he was standing. Abraham must have felt the concern of a parent toward Lot, for he seems to have taken him into his own household after Lot's father Haran died. (Genesis 11:27-28; 12:4-5).
Abraham had prayed for Sodom, and for Lot in particular, I am sure. Now he must have wondered if these entreaties were in vain. The rising smoke offered no encouragement. So it is sometimes in our own lives. We do not immediately see that the Lord has already answered our prayers, though perhaps not exactly in the manner we would have preferred.
"So when God destroyed the cities of the the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived." (Genesis 19:29 NIV) When the above verse says that God 'remembered' Abraham, it is not saying that before that moment, He had forgotten about him. It is merely saying that God thought of Abraham, remembering His covenant partner and the pledge He had made to him.
I think it is interesting that Lot owes his life to the fact that Abraham has this close relationship with God. (v.29). Remember, Lot had already left Abraham's household and gone toward Sodom before the time when all of the male members of Abraham's house were circumcised as a sign of the covenant with God which had taken place. So, technically, God was under no obligation to deliver Lot as part of His covenant responsibilities. However, God knew how Abraham loved Lot and that he was concerned for Lot's welfare.
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