What does Psalm 103:5 mean?

In this verse David credits the Lord with satisfying the believer with good things. Psalm 84:11 promises that the Lord will not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly. It's important to remember that "good" is something defined according to God's perfect wisdom (Isaiah 55:8), not ours. Everything God has created has a good purpose (1 Timothy 4:4), even if we cannot fully understand all things.

Many unbelievers associate the possession of wealth and material objects with the so-called "good life," but only the Lord and His blessings constitute something truly good. Psalm 16:11 states that in the Lord's presence "there is fullness of joy" and "pleasures forevermore." The book of Ecclesiastes traces Solomon's search for satisfaction in a number of pursuits, including the pursuit of pleasure. Rich and powerful, Solomon found only emptiness until he recognized that the Lord is the only source of satisfaction. He counsels in Ecclesiastes 12:1: "Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth."

This verse also credits the Lord with renewing the believer's life with the energy and strength of the eagle. The eagle molts: it casts off its old feathers and grows new ones, thereby gaining a new lease on life. Regardless of the believer's age, he finds the strength and vitality he needs to do the Lord's will.