The Holy Baal Shem Tov teaches, everything we see or hear, is specifically intended as a message, for you, from G-d.
The Torah teaches, when a person sees an immoral woman, he/she should take extra precautions, by minimizing his/her alcoholic beverages.
The Jerusalem Talmud brings three stories to demonstrate this lesson, drawn directly from the book of Isaiah. “If one hears talk around them, (speaking to you), “this is the way to go (or not go)”, it is G-d telling you something.”
Once Bar Kaparah came to a village and bashed his finger. As he was composing himself, he heard children telling each other a certain verse from the Bible. Bar Kapara immediately understood he would be unsuccessful, turned around, and went back home.
Rabbi Yochonan and Shimon Ben Lakish were travelling to Babylonia to visit a certain Rabbi Shmuel who wasn’t feeling well. They stopped next to a school and heard the children learning about Shmuel the prophet,” who died, was eulogized, and buried. Rabbi Yochonan says to Shimon Ben Lakish, “did you hear what the children said? Shmuel is dead.”
Rabbi Shimon wasn’t convinced. Rabbi Yochonan said, “record the time we are hearing this.” It wasn’t long afterwards, they heard Shmuel passed away on that day.
R’ Yoseh and R’Yonah went to visit R’ Acha in Babylonia. Again, they weren’t sure if they would make it there on time. “ G-d will already tell us whether it’s worth going or not”. On their way they heard in a village, one woman ask the other, “Did your candle go out yet?” And the other answered,” It did not go out, and it will not go out, the candle of Israel.” R’Yonah said. “If we heard these words, we have a reason to continue, since his candle didn’t go out yet.”
Ilfa and R’ Yochonan decided to earn some money. They rested in an abandoned home. As they are resting, R’ Yochonan hears two voices speaking, “let’s throw the wall down and kill them”. One voice responds. “No. One of them is yet to become a somebody.”
R’ Yochonan asked Ilfa,” did you hear the conversation?” And Ilfa says, “No”. Said R’ Yochonan. “If only “I” heard the conversation, it must mean, I am the one that is set for greatness.”
The Talmud goes on even further and says. Even “when one overhears about world events, that too, are lessons for the one hearing.”
In the tractate of Kallah it tells a story with the great Rabbi Akiva, who was once travelling in a village by a field and saw a man carrying a heavy load and two people at either side hitting him. Rabbi Akiva thought, there has to be something more to this and asked the man being hit, “what’s the story?”
He tells Rabbi Akiva, he did all kinds of transgressions while alive and this was his personal rectification. Rabbi Akiva asked him, did he leave any children behind, and he says, only a pregnant wife. Rabbi Akiva went to his city and asked for the wife and they said to him, why do you bother with the wife of such a terrible person.
Rabbi Akiva found the pregnant wife and offered her to personally take care of the child. After a few years and the child was able to say Kaddish/sanctification of G-ds name in a synagogue, and Borchu, the man met Rabbi Akiva and thanked him profusely for what he did.
Rabbi Akiva gave years of his precious time to the lad because he knew, if G-d made him see the father suffering like that, it was a message to him personally, to attend to the situation.
G-d is sending us messages all the time. We may need better, stronger, hearing aids.