We mentioned recently the words of the Ramban in Parashat Vayeshev, הגזרה אמת והחריצות שקר — Hashem's decree is the truth, and our efforts can never change it. The Ramban was explaining how Yosef was on his way to find his brothers, and when he couldn't find them, he could have easily turned back and gone home. But Hashem had already decreed that the Jewish people would go down to Mitzrayim, and Yosef being sold by his brothers was going to be the beginning of that process. So Hashem sent the malach Gavriel to point Yosef toward his brothers, teaching us that Hashem's plan is going to happen no matter what people decide to do.
We find the same idea in other places in the Torah. When Sedom was about to be destroyed, the malach told Lot, הָהָרָה הִמָּלֵט — escape to the mountain. But Lot didn't want to go to the mountain. He asked instead to go to a small city called Tzoar, and the malach agreed. Lot thought he was choosing where he was going to live, but the Torah tells us right afterward that Lot was afraid to stay in Tzoar. So he went up to the mountain with his two daughters and settled in a cave. The Rashbam points out that this was the same place the malach had originally told Lot to go to. Lot thought he was making his own decisions, but Hashem brought him exactly to the place He wanted him to be.
And what happened in that cave? Lot's daughters thought that the world had been destroyed and there was nobody left. So they decided to give their father wine and have children through him. But where did they get wine in a cave in the middle of a mountain? Rashi tells us that Hashem had prepared the wine for them there. There was a much greater plan taking place. From Lot's daughter came Moav, and generations later, from Moav came Rut, the great-grandmother of David HaMelech, from whose descendants Mashiach will come. Lot thought he was going to choose where to go, but Hashem was preparing the beginnings of the dynasty of Mashiach.
The Torah tells us regarding Lot's older daughter, וַתִּשְׁכַּב אֶת אָבִיהָ בַּלַּיְלָה הוּא. This unusual expression, בלילה הוא(instead of ההוא), appears in only two other places in the Torah. The word הוא can be understood as a reference to HaKadosh Baruch Hu, hinting that Hashem was there directing the events.
The second place is regarding the birth of Yissachar. The Torah tells us that Yaakov was coming home from the field, and the Gemara in Masechet Niddah, daf 31a, explains that Hashem assisted through Yaakov's donkey. As explained by the Rashi there(see also aruch laner), Hashem caused Yaakov's donkey to turn toward Leah's tent at that time. And the Torah says, וַיִּשְׁכַּב עִמָּהּ בַּלַּיְלָה הוּא. Rashi says that HaKadosh Baruch Hu personally assisted in bringing about the birth of Yissachar. From Yissachar would come a shevet renowned for its Torah scholarship, producing great talmidei chachamim who would guide Klal Yisrael. . What appeared to be an ordinary event was all part of Hashem's plan to bring Shevet Yissachar into the world.
The third place is when Yaakov Avinu was preparing to meet Esav. Yaakov was afraid, and the Rashbam says there, he decided to escape by taking a different route. The Torah says, וַיָּקָם בַּלַּיְלָה הוּא וַיַּעֲבֹר אֵת מַעֲבַר יַבֹּק. Yaakov got up that night and crossed the Yabok River. The Rashbam explains that Yaakov was trying to avoid meeting Esav. But Hashem had promised Yaakov that He was going to protect him, and He wanted Yaakov to see that promise fulfilled. So Hashem sent the malach to stop Yaakov from escaping. And look what came out of that encounter. The malach acknowledged Yaakov's right to the berachot, and Yaakov received the name Yisrael, the name that his descendants would carry for all generations. Yaakov thought he was deciding which road he was going to take, but Hashem had something else in mind, and He sent a malach to stop him.
In all these places, the people involved thought they were making their own decisions, but we see that Hashem was directing all the events toward something much greater.
We make decisions every day. We decide where to go, what opportunities to pursue, and which situations to avoid. We make our hishtadlut and do what we think is right. But we must never think that we are the ones controlling the outcomes. Sometimes Hashem allows us to take the road we choose, and sometimes He redirects us onto completely different roads. We may think something happened because of a decision we made or a change in circumstances, but behind it all is HaKadosh Baruch Hu, guiding everyone toward the destination He planned for them. Hashem's plan always comes to fruition, and therefore we should always feel comfortable knowing that we are exactly where we're meant to be.