And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
It is understandable why Romans 8:28 would be one of Pastor Olman Sánchez’s favourite Bible verses. God has used his challenging experiences for good to impact many lives. However, Pastor Olman was not always interested in the ways of the Lord. He was on a very different path when God used one of his greatest trials to bring him triumph.
Over thirty years ago while Pastor Olman was working with a colleague cutting grass, there was a terrible accident in which his co-worker unintentionally cut his wrist which sliced all his tendons. His hand hung with no movement, and he lost a lot of blood. Subsequently, he underwent two surgeries, which did not work, and his hand remained practically useless.
During this time, a friend invited him to church, but he had no desire to go. He didn’t believe that church worked. However, his friend was very insistent and in order to keep him calm, he finally agreed to go. The first day he went to the church in San José, the capital of Costa Rica, he was uncomfortable as he thought the people were singing like they were crazy, and he never thought they were going to be that crazed. Then something started to happen, and things got bad. People started falling on the floor as the preacher gave his message and prayed. When he thought things could not get any worse, it did – they asked for money. When the service was finished, many people were still on the floor, and they left them there.
Pastor Olman’s friend was persistent and asked him to go to church again the next day. The first thing he said to his friend was, “Are you crazy?” He then asked his friend, “Why would I want to go there again when the pastor is throwing the people to the floor?” Then he stopped to think and made up his mind to challenge his friend. He decided that he was going back to the church to show his friend that the pastor could not throw him to the floor.
While at the service, he saw the same things that he thought was “craziness,” therefore, he told his friend that he was going to show him that all the pastor was talking about was a lie. After the pastor started praying for the people, Pastor Olman decided to walk towards him because he was there with a purpose to prove that this preacher was false. He walked only six metres then he cannot remember what happened. When he came back to himself, he realized that he was lying on the concrete floor. As Pastor Olman opened his eyes he saw a minister praying for him, and then he started crying and crying. He just wanted to clean his face and clear the tears from his eyes, so he used his hands to do it. It was then that he realized he was using his injured hand to do this. A hand which previously had no movement. He knew it was a miracle. His hand was fully functional. All his fingers were healed. He looks back at that miracle and acknowledges that it was all for God’s purpose.
Pastor Olman then started attending church regularly. His mother, after seeing God’s miraculous move in her son’s life became a believer. She began going to Christian events and at one of these services she was healed from epilepsy.
From this experience he learned that we as Christians have to bring people from darkness to light. God’s purpose is for us to do this.
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9
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