"...and He will shew you things to come." (John 15:13b)
This, I think, is the purest expression of the prophetic. While we need the Holy Spirit to do this—to show us things to come—the case could be made for our need for Him to show us what's going on now.
"But Jesus called them unto Him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them." (Matthew 20:25)
So, the next verse is Jesus relating our need to be humble and be a servant ("But it shall not be so among you..." Verse 26). Inevitably, as you walk in this, and should you so desire, He will "lift you up". One of the reasons God has us start at the bottom tier is for us to learn what leadership is. Jesus is the only one who gives complete freedom in spite of the fact that we've turned our entire lives over to Him. But this verse. The one cited up top refers to the hierarchy found in the world. And this structure is everywhere. From governments to schools to fast food chains. Jesus just put His finger on all of it. Look:
"He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things." (Ephesians 4:10)
Okay, so that's a broad proof-text. But I am a believer and this is what it boils down to. Another aspect to all this is that God the Father is in charge. Jesus did what He did at God's behest and so things run smoothly. If you pan out and look at someone higher up, they know what's going on in their sphere—more-or-less. Especially if they were promoted through the correct (read, ethical) channels.
"For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another." (Psalm 75:7)
The more time you spend where you're at, waiting for God to do what is promised in the above, the more you'll see patterns. If you don't see any, ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes. Because I can guarantee you you notice stuff. And everything means something with God. Humbling ourselves under the "most high" will in turn show us what it means to lead and also what it means to serve. And as such, we will truly see what's going on around us.
"I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:12-13)
In closing, one quick caveat. One can get so wrapped up in the minutiae of daily life that they forget God. As God is a living and active person with whom we must interact even as He moves us along, our attention must be directed back to Him even as He unveils details and reveals vistas about which we never had any idea were. It's all a part of love.
"And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known of Him." (1 Corinthians 8:2)
"Prophecy is history written in advance." Paul Billheimer