"ובכן תן פחדך...על כל העמים ואימתך על כל מה שבראת"
“And so...instill fear of You upon all that You have made, and dread of You upon all that You have created.”

QUESTION: On Rosh Hashanah when we are concerned with ourselves, why do we pray that the entire world should fear Hashem?

ANSWER: The Gemara (Bava Kamma 92a) says that when one prays on behalf of his friend and he too is in need of the same thing, he is answered first. Since we, and the entire world as well, need Hashem to instill His fear in us, in merit of our praying for all those that He made and created, we will be the first in whom He will instill His fear and the first to prostrate ourselves before Him with a perfect heart.

(ר' חיים זצ"ל מצאנז)