God Touches My Appendix
From: 1972
Billy Mellick
It was about midday during the summer of 1972. It was during a work week where dad and mom were not at home because they were at their jobs, and I was old enough to stay home by myself. I can’t remember where my brother and sister were, maybe outside playing or at a neighbor’s house. Since I was the oldest, I watched my younger siblings while dad and mom provided us a living. I guess I was around 13 or so.
Suddenly, while I was in the house, I began to feel a sharp pain in my right side. It was so severe that I had to lie down on the bottom bunk of my brother’s and my bunkbeds. The pains would come and go, but the last one came and would not go away but kept getting worse. The excruciating throb in my side doubled me over until my head touched my knees. I was in a cold sweat by now and in tears.
As I lay there, I remembered the faith of my mother. She believed in the healing power of Jesus. I had had experiences with Jesus healing my feet after my mother had prayed for them when I was in the 2nd grade, and at ten years old, I had another experience with Jesus when He showed me where, on a dreary rainy day, I had lost the ten dollars I had that was to feed the thirteen people who were living in the same house. I found the ten dollars, and we had lunch. As I pondered those experiences, I started crying out to God in my heart and then very softly, verbally. I couldn’t get up to get help, nor was there anyone around to cry out to other than Jesus. I remembered praying, “Jesus, I have no one to help me . . . will you help me?” The pain was unbearable as I was calling out on His name.
I really don’t remember how long I was on the bunkbed feeling the pain, with my head doubled over touching my knees, but again just as sudden, I felt a warmth touching my head and a calmness in my little mind (as I do now writing about it) that slowly flowed down my body until I felt it around my front right side. When that warm and peaceful feeling stopped at my side, I heard the word, “appendix”. I had never heard that word, at least I don’t remember if I did, and I certainly didn’t know what it was or what it meant. I remember feeling that kind of feeling when Jesus healed my feet. I spoke softly again, “I know who are, and I know what you can do – will you please touch me again?” The pain immediately subsided! My body straightened out on the bed, numb from the peace it felt. I rolled over and stood up on the floor without any pain in my side or belly at all. I don’t remember much what happened that day, only that I went outside to play. But I do remember the joy that I felt that Jesus heard me once again, and I thanked Him for hearing a young boy pray.
My dad and mother, I learned, had had their appendixes removed, and when Judy and I had our son Josh, at eight years old his appendix ruptured. It was only prayer by God’s people and a touch by Jesus that prevented us from losing our child. It is now 2021. I am 61 years old, soon to be 62 and I have never had another flare-up from my appendix. Jesus really touched and helped me.
I recently saw an old video on YouTube of an Oral Roberts healing service. He was teaching that healing is the “children’s (of God) bread”. He went on preaching that there is one thing that God cannot refuse, and that is when you ask Him, “Help me!” He will help you, but Brother Roberts went on to say that Jesus wants you to turn your heart towards Him, repent, live right, do right, turn your life around.
My Pastor, Brother John D. Clark, Sr. said many times over the years, “God has used Brother Oral Roberts in the twentieth century to turn more people’s hearts towards God than any other man since the Apostle Paul.”
Jesus is still here! All we must pray and ask is, “Lord, help me.”
God, help us all!
Billy Mellick
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