As we near the end of January 2022 we may have mixed feelings. A new year always holds a fresh sense of hope for me, although I have to admit that 1 January was such a difficult day in our household that my heart was very downcast about the way the year was starting!

January is a time when many take stock and put changes into motion. With a fresh canvas before us there can be a sense of excitement about all that God may have in store for us in the months ahead.

However, it would unrealistic and somewhat foolish to forget about what is going on around us. We may have thought that the pandemic would have been over well before the new year; now we are being told we need to learn to live with it. Alongside the uncertainty of that, trust in politicians seems to be at an all-time low.

In times like these, it can be all too easy to look at the circumstances right in front of us and allow our hearts to sink. However, whatever we are facing as a nation, and also personally, we have a God who is beyond history and who knows the end from the beginning.

It can be so helpful to take time to meditate on the truths about who God is, and remind ourselves of the anchor he is for our lives in all moments, whether peaceful or rocky. Here are five passages I like to spend time with when I am feeling the ground beneath me shake:

Psalm 46:1-7

'God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.'

Psalm 121:1-4

'I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.'

Psalm 73:26

'My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.'

Lamentations 3:22-24

'Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."'

Romans 8:38-39

'For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.'