Passage
For in thee, O Lord, have I hoped: thou wilt hear me, O Lord my God.
For in thee, O Lord, have I hoped: thou wilt hear me, O Lord my God.
Psalms 37:14 But I, as a deaf man, heard not: and as a dumb man not opening his mouth.
Psalms 37:15 And I became as a man that heareth not: and that hath no reproofs in his mouth.
Psalms 37:16 For in thee, O Lord, have I hoped: thou wilt hear me, O Lord my God.
Psalms 37:17 For I said: Lest at any time my enemies rejoice over me: and whilst my feet are moved, they speak great things against me.
Psalms 37:18 For I am ready for scourges: and my sorrow is continually before me.
The verse centers on "thee", "lord", "hoped", "thou", "wilt", and "hear". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thee" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And I became as a man that..." into verse 17's "For I said Lest at any time...", so "thee" and "lord" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "thee" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.