God’s Mercy Saved Anthony Joshua — Adeboye

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has attributed British-Nigerian boxing champion Anthony Joshua’s survival in a recent road accident to what he described as the mercy of God.

Adeboye made the remark on Sunday during the church’s monthly thanksgiving service, where he spoke on the theme of divine mercy and preservation.

According to the cleric, Joshua narrowly escaped death in a fatal auto crash that occurred last Monday on the busy Lagos–Ibadan Expressway. The accident claimed the lives of two of the boxer’s friends — Ayodele Kelvin, a 36-year-old Nigerian-British citizen, and Gami Sina, also 36, a British citizen — while several others sustained injuries.

Speaking while illustrating the power of divine mercy, Adeboye referenced a newspaper report which stated that Joshua had exchanged seats with another occupant of the vehicle shortly before the crash.

“I read in the newspapers yesterday that our boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, exchanged seats with someone before the accident,” Adeboye said.
“The people he exchanged seats with died. I don’t know why, but the mercy of God said someone would still be alive today.”

The cleric cited Lamentations 3:22–23, noting that survival is not a result of human wisdom or strength but of God’s mercy.

“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 added.

Adeboye, who took his sermon text from Psalm 89:1, also highlighted the personal nature of God’s mercy, explaining that biblical expressions often emphasize individual experience.

“I have told us before that whenever something is very important to David, he uses the singular to express himself. When he says, ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,’ it is personal,” he said.
“I want you to take this message personally. I am talking to myself.”