The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has described British-Nigerian boxing star Anthony Joshua’s survival in a recent road accident as an act of divine mercy.
Adeboye made the remark on Sunday during the church’s monthly thanksgiving service, using Joshua’s experience to illustrate what he called the preserving power of God’s mercy.
Joshua narrowly escaped death in a crash that occurred last Monday on the ever-busy Lagos–Ibadan Expressway.
The accident, however, proved fatal for two of his close associates — Ayodele Kelvin, a 36-year-old Nigerian-British national, and Gami Sina, also 36 and a British citizen — while others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Speaking on the subject of preservation, Adeboye cited scripture and stressed that survival is not always a matter of human wisdom.
“Lamentations 3:22–23 says it is by the mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed. We are alive because of the mercies of the Lord, not because of cleverness,” he said.
Referring directly to Joshua’s ordeal, the cleric added, “I read in the newspapers yesterday that our boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, exchanged seats with someone before the accident.
“The people he exchanged seats with died. I don’t know why, but the mercy of God said someone would still be alive today.”
Adeboye, who anchored his message on Psalm 89:1, also spoke about the personal nature of faith, noting that biblical language often reflects individual significance.
“I have informed us in the past that whenever something is very important to David, he uses the singular to express himself. When you hear him say, ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,’ it is personal,” he said.
Urging worshippers to internalise the message, he concluded, “I want you to take this message personally. Maybe one or two people can join me in attaching meaning to it. I am talking to myself.”
