The providence of God is called his "hidden will" for good reason. Like the future itself, God's will for our future contains great depths that we can't see very far into. [...]
There are exceptions, of course. Sometimes a prophet will tell God's people what God has in store for them. But even then there is much that remains hidden in God's will for their future. This is illustrated in one of the most famous passages about the will of God in the Bible. It's where the prophet Jeremiah speaks words of comfort to the exiled people of Israel in the name of the Lord their God: "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jer. 29:11). God knows these plans, but Israel doesn't. He does not in fact reveal much about them. Through the prophet, he tells them that they will remain in captivity for seventy years, and then he will bring them back to their own land. But that's about all. He doesn't reveal the details. The point is clear: God knows his plans -- we don't.
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