Similar to the words of Job, except that Job wanted to end his life, and thus end the misery, here the psalmist wants the misery to end, but begins by asking how much longer he will live, and therefore know how much longer he will have to put up with the suffering.
The measure of days, is a request of how much longer the psalmist has to live.
He is weary of life, and things are so bad, that nothing is expected from life, that all of life and all of existence is nothing more than emptiness. That is how low the emotional state of the psalmist has sunk.
He wants to know how much longer he will have to endure the suffering, because he expects no relief except through death. And he feels that for any length of time, he would welcome death in order to escape the burdens and suffering that he is enduring right now.
The term for frail, does not mean weakness, but in this verse means, to know when everything will eventually come to an end.
Sooner or later, in everyone’s life, the pressures will mount to such an extent, that there will seem to be no way out. And the emotions will build from within, to the point that death will seem to be the only way out.
But such is the nature of this Devils world.
Evil, if it has its chance, will push, and push, until you are at your wits end, and completely across the breaking point of life.
But as we will see, knowledge of Bible doctrine, is your best defense against the extremes of misery and depression.
Often times, venting to God, in private, or even in the privacy of your own thoughts, but better still, speaking aloud, if even only to the walls around you, helps you to sort through the pressures and anxieties and depressions that can be so overwhelming.
And sooner or later, you will realize that you can systematically talk your way through your problems, and see Gods perspective, and likewise see your own place in life, as well as the how’s and why’s, of what is going on.
Needless to say, knowledge of Bible doctrine, in situations like this, is extremely helpful. Because it gives you the resources with which to work through the greater pressures of life.
Lack of knowledge of Bible doctrine, means a lack of the inner resources or approaching difficulties, and in that case, often times those difficulties will bury you.