St Illtud's Church, Llantwit Major, Wales

St Illtud’s Church, Llantwit Major

This was my second visit to this beautiful church, the cradle of Welsh Celtic Christianity. I was looking forward to it and as I walked into the main church, I felt a holy overwhelming presence of God which nearly pushed me off my feet. My husband had to support me it was so strong and immediately I started weeping in the holiness and preciousness of God’s presence in this place. We settled to pray in a pew up near the altar and I allowed my spirit to sink into the quiet. No-one else was around and we had the church to ourselves, what a privilege.

Again, as I share my own experience and encounter with God, let it provoke you to be expectant that God also wants to meet with you. As I often say on this site, don’t expect to have the same experiences I do, as God meets us all in diverse ways and we all have different personalities and gifts. My husband encounters God with me but he rarely sees visions or feels things in his body in the way I do. We are different, with different callings.

I realised God was saying He’d brought me here to ‘rest’ and as He said this I went into a vision and saw a large vat full of water which I sank down into. Peace flooded over me, and I realise how tired I am. I hear the Spirit of God speaking to my spirit, ‘You are brave.’ ‘I don’t feel brave’ I immediately reply. ‘Gideon didn’t feel brave, yet he was a mighty warrior of valour. So are you.’

The deep tiredness within me is overwhelming but then in the vision I am swimming down under water until I stand on solid ground. I am shown a very large key, then a tiny filigree key and then a ring with many keys on. I sense they are all keys I possess in the spirit and are attached to various parts of me, with distinct functions.

The large key is to help unlock others. The filigree key is to open my heart intimately to Jesus. The ring of keys is to unlock prisoners.

I can then see that I have keys on my fingertips, for tenderness and precision. There are keys in my eyes which unlock my prophetic seer gift and, in my ears, allowing me to hear in the Spirit. There are keys on my thighs which give strength to walk the long walk. Even keys on my shoulders as epaulets of authority and rank. Keys make up a crown I’m wearing on my head and are embroidered in golden thread on a cream cloak on my shoulders and down my back. Keys are on my shoe fasteners, on the back of my left wrist where a watch would be worn, and this is to tell the times and the seasons. I’m holding a sword encrusted with keys, a shield emblazoned with a golden key and there’s a key on my forehead which covers my spirit and mind.

I’m aware this is symbolic language to help me understand how to operate in the spiritual gifts and the calling God has on my life. Keys unlock and lock. The keyholder has the authority to use the key and knows the right key for the right lock.

Suddenly I’m now surrounded by keys floating in the atmosphere around me and they are keys for specific situations and moments. The keys on the multiple key ring seem to unlock places, ancient wells and treasures stored in secret places which will then set people imprisoned free. I can see keys emblazoned on a coat of arms, golden keys on a cream background etched in red. I’m wearing a see-through veil with golden keys as part of the design. Even my dress has golden keys embroidered on cream.

I hear, ‘You are a key that I can use to unlock situations and circumstances and to lock up plans of Satan. You are a key in My hand. You can do nothing until My hand takes hold of you and moves you.

Outside it is pouring with heavy rain and it feels highly prophetic. I remember twice in early 2020 being in churches praying with a storm raging outside and knowing I was in the calm of the eye of the storm, and something was about to kick off in the natural. I knew it was a reminder to stay in the peace of God. Little did I know that within a few weeks covid-19 would lock my country down for many months. The rain pouring down this time reminded me of those situations, and I know they are God speaking again prophetically, that something is coming.

So, after I came out of the vision, I spent time pondering and asked God to confirm that what I’d seen was Him speaking. I shared with my husband what had happened, and he was amazed as he had just seen a ring with keys on in part of the cathedral. He took me there to look and it was a clear confirmation of what God was speaking.

I love this church. I love that so much history is tied up here, that so many Godly men prayed, discipled, and went out as missionaries from this place. I love that Illtud, Dubricius, Samson and Beuno all lived here. I love that Christianity birthed in this place in Wales and spread. I love the connection with Exmoor and Cornwall. We were able to look across the Bristol Channel from Llantwit Major and see where we’d been on Exmoor a few days previously, where Dubricius and Beuno are honoured and probably visited. The joining of the dots continues as these precious men prayed and laid down their lives for God and for the generations following.

There are also some amazingly beautiful ancient Celtic crosses in this church and some intricate carvings of animals on the porch entrance which are enchanting.