The psalmist depicts himself like a parched wineskin being dried out in a smoker. What are his problems? People. Notice these:
He lacks comfort (119:82b).
He wonders how many days he has to live (119:84a).
He is persecuted (119:84b).
The insolent are digging pits (for his burial) (119:85a).
The persecutions are without cause (119:86b).
They tried to wipe him from the earth (119:87a).
Put succinctly — his opponents are trying to kill him. Now we don’t live in a world much like this (at least most of us don’t). But, the world of this psalmist wasn’t tolerant and pluralist: the way to deal with dissent was to put people away — exile them or assassinate them. He feels the threat of death over his shoulder and behind his back, and it wasting him away.
And in the middle of these problems, the psalmist pauses to record his reflections and points himself toward God in prayer.