The RAVYN Blog

The Overcomer

As a Christian, the hardest thing to do is overcome the doubts that settle in your mind. We’re called to trust God. We’re supposed to believe He hears our prayers and answers them.

I know of people who doubt His existence, but I also know that my experiences with God are real. In my doubts, a still, calm voice reminds me that He is still here.

God fulfilled His promises to me. He reminds me of the miracles, His presence, His love.

In moments of doubt, I held onto God even when I couldn’t see a way out, because I knew Him, and I knew that He ALWAYS makes a way.

I’ve seen Him create paths in places where there was only blockage, and I’ve witnessed Him create opportunities in places that seemed desolate.

He knew the smallest desires of my heart, even the unspoken ones.

Overcoming the Doubt

The hardest thing to do as a Christian is overcome the doubts that settle within you. 

Yet, we are called to trust God, to know that He hears our prayers and has answered them. I’ve been around people who doubt the existence of God, but I know the truth of my life, the past that God brought me through.

Amid those doubts, with a still, calm voice, He reminds me that He is here. 

He did many things for me; He did many things through me. He reminds me of the miracles He performed. He reminds me of His presence, His love.

During those moments, I held onto God even when I couldn’t see the way out, because I knew Him, and I knew that He ALWAYS made a way.

I’ve seen Him create paths in places where there was only blockage, and I’ve witnessed Him create opportunities in places that seemed desolate.

He knew the smallest desires of my heart, even the unspoken ones.

How it All Began

In December 2023, my mother and I flew to Melbourne, Florida, to attend my brother’s graduation. Our Uber driver was a sweet older lady who picked us up in a car I was fascinated by.

I’ve seen a lot of newer cars, but it was the first time I’d actually ridden in one. I was too impressed. Her ‘high-tech’ car had all the bells and whistles a car could ever need, and I remembered thinking, “I’d love to own a car like this.”

In the BVI, you don’t get to see many models like the one our Uber driver had. The most basic things were there: the rearview mirror, the Bluetooth connection, and the touchscreen radio, but that was it.

After graduation, when my mother and I returned to the BVI, she pointed out a Haval and asked, “Would you want one of these?”

My answer was quick and flat. “No.”

I don’t think my answer was about aesthetics. It was just that I hadn’t heard of Haval, and besides, I couldn’t afford to buy a car. But after that conversation, my mother did persuade me to swing by the dealer to look at the Haval, and I agreed.

Sometime after, the dealership owner greeted us and showed us a few models, including the 2024 Haval G6, which, to be honest, I was a bit apprehensive about.

It was the most affordable option he had at the time, so he gave me a bill of sale, but I didn’t take it to the bank until 2024.

Even with the bill of sale in hand, I doubted whether buying a car on my salary was a wise choice. I wasn’t making enough money, and I didn’t think I could own something as fancy as the one I was shown at the dealership.

None of that mattered, however. When the new year came, and it was time to set my goals, the Lord said to me, “Write down everything you want for 2024 and put a date on each of them.”

The New Year’s List

I can’t share a picture of the list I wrote down (because some things are personal), but I can tell you it included a new car.

I wanted a new car (for March), a spouse, a new job, a better relationship with God, among other things.

In March, I finally went to the bank with my bill of sale, knowing my salary wouldn’t cover the loan. The loan officer told me what I needed, including a job letter and a few pay slips.

When I received the job letter, I saw that my annual salary had increased by $20,000, even though the pay slip reflected the old salary.

I went to the bank with all my documents, and … the car was gone.

I needed a new bill of sale, so I went to the dealership and looked for the same model again, including a newer model, the GT, which was more expensive than the one I wanted. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the car I wanted in the color I wanted, and the salesperson said another shipment of cars was expected to arrive in April.

As per the list I created, I was supposed to own a car in March, so I asked God, “I planned to get the car in March; what’s happening?”

He replied, “Have some patience. We will extend until April, and that would give you more time.”

It was then I realized that while He’d had me write down when I wanted my things by, the list reflected my time, not His. He was still operating on His timeframe.

I was in a rush to get my prayers answered, so I looked at other models at a different car dealership. The cars were more expensive, less fancy, and the salesperson introduced a new form of doubt: the deposit.

I looked at different models to appease the hurt inside, trying to force my timing onto God’s. All the same, I understood that God had something in store for me.

I went home, mentally preparing to make a down payment with money I didn’t have.

Amid my worries, God assured me a down payment wouldn’t be necessary, but like the panic-driven person I was, I still calculated whether I could truly afford it if it ever came to that. I ultimately decided to continue with the Haval, and I got the new bill of sale from the original dealership, which I brought to the loan officer.

While I was in the office, I asked about the down payment, and she told me she’d try to build a case for me to get the full loan amount.

The New Car Arrives

There was a lot of waiting.

I operated in a faith that was not of my doing. I shopped around for car insurance, then got an email saying I was approved for the full loan amount.

All I needed to do now was wait for my new car to arrive.

But … alas, a new setback came. The salesperson told me the Haval model I wanted was no longer available. She’d made an error on my bill of sale.

The Haval H6 GT was available, though much more expensive, and she asked me if I wanted to come in and look at it.

Disappointed, I agreed, but I’d already secured a loan for the previous car, and I couldn’t afford to pay the difference should I go with the newer option. I went into the dealership, but only if she would give me the more expensive model for the price listed on the old bill of sale, since she made the error.

In one week, I walked away with a more expensive car (in the color I wanted), fully paid for by the bank.

I also walked away with a salary that could cover the payments, and suddenly I realized that this experience in itself was a miracle, a testament to who God is. God’s divine timing shifted in a way that let me get the exact car I wanted for a price I could afford.

The Grand Conductor of the Orchestra of Life

How do we view God and His timing?

Looking back at the list I created, I can confidently say that nothing I wrote on it happened during the time I wrote down for them. In fact, some things on that list haven’t happened yet.

Yet I fully believe God orchestrates everything that happens when I trust Him.

He was the one who brought about the pay increase. He taught me confidence and discernment. He showed me how to recognize His voice. He controls the waves of time, speeding forward what needs to be done and holding back for when a better opportunity arises.

He knits everything together; a more perfect moment could not have been harmonized just for me.

Even through my doubts and worries, God is still here, and with each move He makes, these worries and doubts shrink.

I spent this year underestimating how much the enemy would attack me; he knew that God was planning something major—something that I couldn’t see. 

When this year began, God gave me this statement:

God promised Israel a future glory, a place where there would be no suffering, and they would be exalted from their shame. In the end, He says, “At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.”

Doubts and worries may arise, but God will make it happen at the right time.